buy custom Post Cold War essay

buy custom Post Cold War essay After the cold war, the United Nations peacekeeping practices have undergone many changes. During the cold war the deployments usually operated under the ideology of unbiased, non-forcible intervention with the permission of the conflicting parties. As a result, the United Nations principles have been under -increased strain with the United Nations performance coming under severe criticism. The United Nations has been seen to act to gain credibility rather than address the needs in the world. For example the United Nations assisted in fewer activities in the Bosnian war and also over involved itself with Somalia. The concern coming from peacekeeping, which arose from the experience in Somalia, has been under review, favoring new methods that try to find a stronger approach with a greater capacity for peace building (Voeten, 2005). After the cold war the first mission unequivocally labeled as a peacekeeping mission was the UN Emergency Force (UNEFI). This mission was sent to the Sinai Peninsula in rejoinder to the 1956 Suez Crisis to foresee the withdrawal of the British and Israeli forces from the Egyptian territory. As the first armed force to the UN, UNEFI was an important example for other UN missions in the future. The first mission also served as a case study for armed and neutral forces working to restrain conflict. The mission was successful in its objectives since it led to establishment of asset of principles which have served as important guidelines for future missions (Frieden, 2009). The principles derived were as follows The mission should have assent by the parties to the dispute. Avoiding the use of force except for cases of self defense; The force should comprise of intentional assistance of contingents from small, non-partisan countries. The united nation should be impartial The peacekeeping operations must be controlled by the Secretary General. During the Cold War, 13 peacekeeping operations were created. The missions one and only function was to keep an eye on borders and establish buffer zones after cease-fires agreements. From late 1980s to 1994, the peacekeeping missions undertaken worldwide dramatically increased. At the commencement of 1988, there were only five operations which were actively involved in the field, that is three in the Middle East, the Kashmir mission, and the UN Peacekeeping Force located in Cyprus (UNFICYP) (Voeten, 2005). This noteworthy increase in the number of the peacekeeping operations was accompanied by essential changes in their nature and in their composition. The single function that was associated with the UN traditional operations evolved into a variety of tasks as the variety of tasks increased, the composition of peacekeeping operations after the cold war became diverse and complex with peacekeepers being drawn from wider varieties of occupation (that is the military, civilian police and diplomats), nations and cultures. Modern peacekeeping can be fittingly characterized as bilateral, multidimensional, global and multicultural. All deployments after 1988 are redefined under new military doctrines which sought to explain the principles under which they operate. The missions after 1988 are referred to as multidimensional operations due to their wide variety of activities. As peacekeeping activities diversified notably in recent past as they strove to adapt to the new tasks and various challenges, the context and environment in which the missions are deployed have also bcome complex. Even though various exceptions such as ONUC in DRC Congo and UNIFIL in Lebanon, the peacekeeping operations created before the 1990s operated in permissive environments only where they had the permission and support of host governments (Voeten, 2005). In the 1990s, various missions have been deployed to solve internal wars or provide humanitarian assistance in complex political emergencies. In such situations the UN is forced to work under the conditions of lawlessness and violence, where militias act autonomously. In such cases the UN agencies are often opposed and confronted by the militia. This occurred as a result the United Nations principles of neutrality and the unifying role .This failure to stop loss of human lifes greatly affected the credibility of the United Nations with fewer countries willing to work with the united nations in future since they were viewed as inferior and could not contain major crisis arising. In the Somalia war the United Nations wanted to restore its lost name hence resulted to massive force. This resulted to loss of the war since the military operation was guided by sinister motives (Frieden, 2009). The United Nations has been blamed for selective involvement in various wars and only works when there is global pressure to see the United Nations prove its might in conflict resolution and peacekeeping. This has further been coupled by damning criticism that the United Nations was an institution being used by the western world to spread neocolonialism. However the United Nations remains the only organization capable of providing humanitarian aid as well as military activities in the whole world. There in the current past has been the development of the doctrines to ensure that the military involvement in humanitarian assistance was boosted. The United Nations aim is to avoid failure in protecting civilians as seen in Bosnia and Rwanda and to ensure adequate self-defense measures for peacekeeping forces and UN staff .The United Nations supporting nations resolved not to send their personnel to missions where they are inadequately equipped to handle (Voeten, 2005). Why UN was involved in some occasions not others. There have been substantial changes both in the practice and concept of United Nation (UN) peacekeeping since the end of the Cold War. Deployment during the cold war for example was based on the principles of impartial, non-forcible intervention. There had to be consent from the conflicting parties. There also had to the precondition of an agreed peace. After the cold war however, the peace keeping missions have been carried out on the context of internal wars (Sambanis, 2004). This change in tactic has subjected the UNs performance in the latest missions to severe criticism. The big question is why it would it do so little in countries like Bosnia and Darfur and so much in other countries. Why is it that some interventions are too little too late, poorly resourced, poorly executed and misconceived like in Somalia, Rwanda and Bosnia. Although such criticisms have lead to an overhaul in the UN peace keeping operations, this section seeks to establish why the UN was involved in some peace keeping operations and not others. Why we there delayed involvement in some peace keeping missions and not in others. It also seeks to point out clearly whether there are limitations as far as UN military interventions mechanisms are concerned. The overhaul of the UNs approach to peace keeping and peace keeping has made its structure to allow very little room for effective military intervention. Partly, this is because the UN does not support quick and decisive action. There are always varying innstitutional structures that do get in the way. The Security Councils permanent members for example can do undermine intervention. In addition to that, intervention is always politically costly, thus the actors especially the Veto powers have an incentive to avoid it (Bannon, 2006). A new lens through which peace keeping is viewed has also been conceived in the condos of UNs intervention strategies. This is the concept of called Responsibility to Protect. It asserts that the international community has the obligation to intervene in a state if and only if the state clearly fails to protect its citizens from mass atrocities and also when the peaceful measures are not working (Voeten, 2005). The first intervention would be in a diplomatic manner, then more coercively, and as a last resort into using military force. It is within this lens that the UN reacts to any conflict or not. It is a sort of selection bias in terms of cases that have a high number of deaths or that are ethnic or religious. The challenge is how to determine the exact point when a state has failed to protect its citizens. This explains why the UN has not reacted towards many conflicts or why it has delayed too many conflicts. This contravenes the concept of the right to intervene. Lastly, the reason why the UN does not respond to other conflicts is inadequacy of troops. The major western economies should consider contributing more troops to UN peacekeeping missions in such situations (Frieden, 2009). How they changed after that period external and Internal The mandate of peacekeeping shifted dramatically after the cold war. After the cold war the mandates and range of activities for peacekeepers expanded exponentially. The peacekeepers today help promote human rights, build government institutions, set up local police forces, and disarm former combatants. Before then, their role was limited to maintaining ceasefires and stabilizing violence in order to make diplomatic solutions more reachable. The UN peacekeeping shifted dramatically from inter-state conflicts to intra-state conflicts and civil wars in the 1990s. This is because of the ever present internal struggle for power over territorial control in many of the warring countries (Regan, 2000). Besides, under the various security systems, when disputes arise between two nations, the concerned parties are required to first seek an amicable solution by peaceful means. This is according to Chapter VI of the UN Charter on peace keeping. The peace is to be sought mainly by squaring off, concession, mediation, peaceful settlement or resort to regional agencies. The 7th chapter of the UN Charter comes into action if the peaceful means fall short and the dispute continues into an armed conflict. This chapter asserts that in the case of a menace to the peace, violation of the peace or an act of belligerence the Security Council may take relevant measures to restore peace. These measures are for all intents and purposes complete or partial economic sanctions, separation of diplomatic relations and arms embargoes (The United Nations Charter, 1945). Conclusion As there are chances that the UN is more likely to send a peacekeeping mission to a smaller and richer country, there are also chances that it is more likely to intervene in a longer and bloodier war. A selection bias would be important because in all the cases there is public outcry and international pressure for the United Nations to get involved in ending a civil war. If the UN intervention has no effect on post-conflict recovery and democratization, then the energy, money, and political resources needed to enact a UN peacekeeping mission would be better not spent. Buy custom Post Cold War essay

An Analysis of Martin Fishbeins Theory of Reasoned Action

Later on behavior appeared not to be 100% voluntary and under control, this resulted in the addition of perceived behavioral control. † Gordon Allport formulated a definition that â€Å"attitudes are learned predispositions to respond to an object or class of objects in a consistently favorable or unfavorable way. † In other words, an attitude is a person’s overall evaluation of a concept. The theory of reasoned action, stated by Ajzen and Fishbein, suggests that if a person intends to carry out a behavior, it is likely that they will do so. Attitudes are always weighted by evaluations of a person’s beliefs. Another example, which highlights peoples beliefs, relates to sports; Sports may be good for one’s health, Sports may be time consuming, Sports may be a strain and uncomfortable. All of these beliefs are weighted. Henry Assael (1983) agreed with the theories and stated how these ‘attitudes’ can be used to predict consumer behavior. The marketing strategy looks at predicting consumer behavior, and attitudes are key in order for a firm to help predict consumer’s behavior. This therefore gives the firm a competitive advantage over their rivals. Thus, Ajzen and Fishbein’s theory is very feasible and can be applied to everyday life. The idea however, was rejected by Sheppard et al. (1988), who made several limiting conditions that proved the idea was false. The distinction was made between a goal intention and a behavioral intention. Goal intentions would look into the long term, for example, getting into the rugby team. A behavior would be attending training. Sheppard also looked at the availability of alternatives and opportunity cost. Choice had an impact on the TRA theory, as it may alter the performance of a certain behavior. Finally he stated that there are times when there is a significant different between what a person intends to do, and what he/she is expected to do. Subjective norm does not account for individual differences. Some people may choose not to consult parents or friends about their decision to carry out a behavior. There are numerous individuals who will feel more comfortable making decisions without their family or peer group, and there are also people who may find it impossible to make a decision about ‘giving up alcohol’ without discussing it with others. Subjective norm therefore may not be as feasible as evaluation of outcome. This process requires the individual to make his/her own assumptions and attitudes about the behavior, and this process is nearly almost carried about by everyone. Not all parts of the theory are essential in the process one makes to carry out a behavior. The ‘Belief in strength of outcome’ and ‘evaluation of outcome’ are the two most important aspects. In the conscious mind, these are the two significant processes that usually occur. People, who are considering drinking alcohol on a night out, will only usually consider the pros and cons of that decision. It is rare for individuals to take matters even further and consult friends or parents about the matter. Subjective norm therefore is usually canceled out in low involving decisions like drinking alcohol. ‘Intention’ may also play a limiting role in the decision to drink alcohol. Behavioral upbringing may have a contributing effect, however the decision usually relates to the situation in which that person is, for example, on a night out, or having dinner at home. The person may be more inclined to drink alcohol on a night out, and may choose to have a soft drink with dinner. Individuals usually take into consideration the time and place, and don’t depend as much on the norms of their upbringing. Hale et al. (2003), backs up this idea, that the TRA excludes a wide range of behaviors such as spontaneity, cravings and habits, and states that â€Å"engaging in these behaviors might not involve a conscious decision on the part of the actor. † To conclude, the theory lacks external reliability, as some behaviors are not used to produce an outcome. However Fishbein and Ajzen created a theory, which can be applied to purchasing behavior of consumers, and thus can be applied to everyday life. 2. Do you think that consumers approach the purchase of products in the seemingly reasoned way outlined above? Give examples to illustrate your thoughts. Many consumers will use the processes outline by Fishbein and Ajzen when purchasing a high involvement product that takes careful thought. However consumers will sometimes use impulse buying for the purchase of products. â€Å"Impulse buying: Spur of the moment, unplanned decision to buy, made just before a purchase. Research findings suggest that emotions and feelings play a decisive role in purchasing, triggered by seeing the product or upon exposure to a well-crafted promotional message. † Impulse buying therefore cancels out behaviors such as evaluation of outcome and subjective norm. A second reason why this theory does not account for all consumer purchases, relates to operant conditioning. This method of learning occurs through rewards and punishments for a certain behavior. Through this process, an association is created between the behavior and a consequence of it. For example; if a chocolate bar goes on offer and has a discount of 50%, a consumer is more than likely to purchase this item. Once a positive association is created with the chocolate, the consumer will more than likely purchase it again. Skinner used the term operant to refer to any active behavior that operates upon the environment to generate consequences (1953). Classical conditioning, which was discovered by Ivan Pavlov, suggested that it’s a learning process, which occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus. The unconditioned stimulus, is something, which triggers a response. In Pavlov’s experiments, his dogs smelt food and the result was salivation. This then produced an unconditioned response, which is an unlearnt response to the unconditioned stimulus. The smell of food would either produce salivation or the feeling of being hungry.

What is Federalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is Federalism - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that these great United States were founded on the idealism and dreams of a people who dreamed of a federal society governed by the rules of freedom and democracy. The present research has identified that we live in times when the sacrifices of our forefathers helped to shape the nation that has nurtured and protected our forebears and will hopefully, also be called home by our successors. Yet for all the dreams and aspirations that we have as a nation, for all the history that helped to create the United States of America, we know very little about the federal form of government that governs our existence. The author has rightly presented that we acknowledge the fact that our country has been run under a federal system of government for over 200 years. It is a system of governance that works for the American people because it has its basis deeply rooted within our lawful constitution and has continued to evolve with the changing times that our country goes through. Yet it is highly doubtful that the average American will know what federalism is all about and how it functions in terms of governance of our country. It was Roche who explained that â€Å"federal ­ism refers to the division of au ­thority and function between and among the national government and the various state governments. But it has come to possess a wider meaning in American political his ­tory†.

Interdependence of subject matter and method in social studies Essay

Interdependence of subject matter and method in social studies - Essay Example The link between the content and the method in Social Studies is vital in ensuring that the goals of teaching are achieved (Thornton, 2005). Through the method, the educators can manipulate the curriculum which is the content. This, therefore, involves planning that confines the educators to the selected content not outside what had been planned (Thornton, 2005). A good example in a Social Studies class is the educator focusing on the role of technology in the society using the role play method. This confines the educator to the selected content as well as the method selected. Social Studies, as indicated by Thornton (2005), involves connection between the content and the personal experience. In this case, methodology of teaching and the content have to be interrelated if the learners have to attain personal fulfilment. Zevin (2013) says that this will also ensure that the learners engage in the activities in the learning process. For instance a study of the culture of the Asians will need content on the Asians lifestyle and method of teaching that will create interest in the

The Fragility of Freedom Gadamerian :: Gadamer Freedom Essays

The Fragility of Freedom Gadamerian ABSTRACT: This paper examines the nature of freedom in Hang-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutics. It focuses on the last section of Wahrheit und Methode advancing the hypothesis that Gadamer’s model of understanding is derived from his particular appropriation of the Platonic notion of the beautiful which poses a passive interpretative posture toward the object of understanding and deprives the activity of interpretation the essential creative quality of freedom. I argue that to the extent that the object of understanding presents itself as immediate revelation of truth, the interpreting subject is reduced to a mere acknowledger of truth as opposed to a creative producer. Opponents of teleological ontology and of philosophy of history have been attracted to hermeneutics as a more congenial perspective for the exploration of such issues as truth and right, knowledge and action, necessity and freedom. The appealing claim of hermeneutics is that universality need not be and should not be absolute as an ultimate end of a process of actualisation. In the view of hermeneutics, a determinate universal converts freedom to necessity however much consciousness may mediate activity. That is, even though activity engenders change, consciousness is more an expression of necessity in relation to the absolute than an expression of freedom. Indeed, in this view, teleological mediation between freedom and necessity is no reconciliation but rather a subsumption of freedom by necessity. To rehabilitate freedom, hermeneutics opts for a non-teleological history with an open, indeterminate future. The departure from teleology finds a new non-essentialist ground for truth a nd universality, namely, mutual understanding. In this paper, I examine Gadamer’s notion of mutual understanding, fusion of horizons, to assess the place reserved for freedom. I focus on Gadamer’s appropriation of the Platonic notion of the beautiful as the model of understanding and I argue that such a notion of understanding poses a passive interpretive posture toward the object of understanding, i.e. tradition or contemporary alien culture. In this model of understanding, I shall argue, the latter presents itself as immediate revelation of truth and thereby deprives interpretation of the productive quality which Gadamer would like to attribute it. I begin by providing some theoretical background to Gadamer’s notion of understanding noting its debt to Heidegger’s phenomenological ontology. I then proceed to examine Gadamer’s appeal to the Platonic dialectic of the beautiful as a model for understanding which highlights, to my mind and as I noted, the latent passivity of Gadamerian interpretati on.

The Problem And Proposed Solutions

The Digital Divide debate encompasses issues that are of social, economic and political import. Meaning to say, the issues regarding the digital divide, as a phenomenon and as a current concern that needs to be addressed, is not merely limited to the issue of the existing disparity in terms of access to technology which transverses different sectors of society. This paper attempts to explicate the digital divide, the debate and the foundational issues concerning the phenomenon/problem.In line with the main task of this paper is the identification of the two most important obstacles that need to be overcome and the two important things that the government needs to create in dealing with the digital divide. In meeting the demands of a global economy, technological advancements especially in the field of telecommunications and information technology are key factors in making possible various transactions faster, cheaper, more reliable and convenient. Needless to say, these technological advances are important tools if companies and other business ventures are to survive in the digital economy.These technological advancements however, are evolving far too fast which consequently generate pressing problems that ought to be considered. On a preliminary note, the aforementioned rapid technological evolution poses serious questions if our societal structures can rapidly adapt to these changes and more importantly, if we, ourselves can rapidly adapt and be able to integrate for ourselves these changes. A good example is the Internet and the online community and it is to this topic that we shall now turn.A fuller understanding of the digital divide phenomenon necessitates an understanding of its underpinnings. As Pippa Norris contends, â€Å"the digital divide is understood as a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing three distinct aspects† (Norris). These three distinct aspects according to Norris are the global divide, social divide and democratic divide, resp ectively. Norris elucidates further, â€Å"The global divide refers to divergence of Internet access between industrialized and developing societies.The social divide concerns the gap between the information rich and poor in each nation. And lastly, within the online community, the democratic divide signifies the difference between those who do, and do not, use the panoply of digital resources to engage, mobilize and participate in public life† (Norris). One may thus infer that these three aspects related to the issue of ‘access’ to the Internet involve not mere social, but also economic and political considerations.In an article entitled, What is the Digital Divide, Harouna Ba makes a similar point as Norris. Ba writes, â€Å"lack of access to networked technology will result in a substantial segment of society having neither the skills nor the means to participate in the progressively more knowledge-based U. S. economy† (Ba). As Ba contends, there is a f elt need to address the issue of access along with the social, economic and political considerations that it entails. At this point, the emphasis is on what Norris calls disadvantaged communities.As mentioned earlier, these communities lack not merely access but also and more importantly, the necessary skills and the means to participate in the digital world. Ba identifies a number of obstacles in dealing with the digital divide phenomenon/problem. But, as I reckon it, in relation to the issue of access, the two most important obstacles in dealing with the digital divide are the issues of the disadvantaged communities’ not having the skills that are necessary and their lack of the means that are necessary.These two are barriers to technological access. One may thus infer that the issue of access only becomes a legitimate issue because of these two obstacles. Again, it is not merely a matter of providing the communities with a greater access to computers and the Internet by lo wering the cost of the hardware and software that hardware and software companies manufacture and sell in the market nor is it merely a matter of increasing the ratio of computers to students in our schools and other institutions of learning.This will not solve the digital divide. The solution to the problem lies on our capability to the address the needs of the disadvantaged communities. There is a need for intervention, so to speak. The government has a significant role in addressing these needs. However, the government’s intervention will not suffice. There is a need for a multi-sectoral cooperation in addressing the needs of disadvantaged communities. A crucial question comes into the scenario. What needs to be done?As Ba sees it, what is needed is to develop community-based technology programs that will support the needs of disadvantaged communities. Ba writes, â€Å"Community technology access models are often grounded on community needs and encompass multiple goals to strengthen neighborhoods, educate youth, promote economic development, connect individuals to the social and economic life of the community, and increase participation in civil society† (Ba). It is of utmost importance that we first assess the needs of the community so that we may provide the appropriate solutions.Furthermore, it is important that technology programs be based on the needs of disadvantaged communities so that these communities themselves may have the opportunity to identify and thereby, integrate what the vital functions of technology are to them and the opportunities that it can provide for them. Such an integration entails that a disadvantaged community sees the relevance of technology in their lives. It may thus be inferred that for Ba, the digital divide may be addressed by people empowerment.Our concerted efforts must be directed to empowering the disadvantaged sectors of society. How can this be done? People empowerment is made possible through community education. As Ba contends, there is a lot of work to be done especially in â€Å"the areas of learning and teaching with and/or about advanced technologies in informal settings for under-served communities† (Ba). This is one of the main reason why government initiatives and interventions in the past only had a limited success in dealing with the digital divide phenomenon.There indeed are initiatives and interventions but they do not address the problem. They miss the point, so to speak. As Ba notes, state governments attempt to address the digital divide via two government agencies; the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Department of Education. The PUC by appealing to telecommunication companies and the likes for universal service and the Department of Education by making provisions for computers in school for those students that do not have access to a computer and the Internet at home.These attempts miss the point because they have been made on the unfounded assumpti on that the digital divide issue is merely an issue of ‘access’ and thus, can be solved by making computers and the Internet more accessible to individuals. But what can these initiatives and interventions accomplish if in the first place, the problem is that individuals from disadvantaged sectors of society lack the necessary skills and the means to be able to access and thereby, utilize technology? The plain truth of the matter is that technology evolves much faster than society can adapt to it.Furthermore, why limit the provisions with the students? Why not youth in general? Why exclude out-of-school youth? This merely shows that the limited success of state initiatives and interventions may be explained by the fact that their assumption is unfounded and that their digital divide programs are not grounded on community needs and thus, ineffective. The digital divide phenomenon/problem is not merely a problem of access. The preceding discussion makes it clear that it i s not a mere matter of identifying â€Å"the have from the have not†.Even this distinction is grounded on further distinctions in terms of the social, economic and the political. These further distinctions albeit different from each other, are very closely interrelated that they all affect changes in the others. Human society is complex. It is not simply a social system. It is also a political system and every political system is also an economic system. The human mind too is complex. There are countless possibilities in terms of scientific and technological advancements. Science and technology evolves too fast.In contrast to science and technology, our societal structures and institutions do not. They do not because there are many other significant things to consider. Perhaps, this is the predicament of our time. Works Cited Ba, Harouna. â€Å"What Is Digital Divide†. August 20 2007. . Norris, Pippa. Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Inter net Worldwide (Communication, Society and Politics). Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Jokes About Engineers and Engineering

Browse this collection of engineering jokes, engineering riddles, and other engineer humor. Definition of an Engineer What is the definition of an engineer? Answer: Someone who solves a problem you didnt know you had, in a way you dont understand. Scientist Versus Engineer A scientist can discover a new star, but he cannot make one. He would have to ask an engineer to do that.— Gordon L. Glegg, British Engineer, 1969. Engineers and Glasses The optimist sees the glass as half full. The pessimist sees the glass as half empty. The engineer sees the glass as twice as big as it needs to be. Engineers: Wife or Mistress? An architect, artist, and engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with their wives or mistresses. The architect said, I like spending time with my wife building a firm foundation of a marriage. The artist said, I enjoy the time I spend with my mistress because of all the passion and energy. The engineer said I enjoy both. If you have a wife and a mistress, both women think you are with the other so you can go to work get more done. Engineering Joke A girl asked her boyfriend, an engineer, Dont you want to see where I was operated upon for appendicitis?The engineer replied, Oh, I hate to see a hospital. It Takes One to Know One Engineer and Mathematician (males) were given the opportunity to compete for a very attractive woman. But there was one condition: You can only run half the remaining distance between you and the lady. Eng. sprinted forward while Math. didnt. Why arent you running? Asked members of the Committee. Because, by definition, I will never be allowed to reach my target. And you Eng. why are you running? Dont you know the same? Yes, said Eng. my learned friend is correct. But I will get close enough for all practical purposes. Engineer Priorities An engineering major sees classmate riding up on a new bike and asks when he got it. I was walking back from the computer lab when the most beautiful woman I had ever seen rode up on this bike, stopped, took all her clothes off and said to me Take what you want! Good choice, the friend replies. The clothes probably wouldnt have fit you. EE Humor I keep trying to find a phone number in Atlanta, but all the websites keep returning Not Found errors. (Explanation: The area code for Atlanta is 404 as in HTTP 404, the error code for File Not Found) Engineering Degree Joke A graduate with a Science degree asks, Why does it work? A graduate with an Engineering degree asks, How does it work? A graduate with an Accounting degree asks, How much will it cost? A graduate with a Liberal Arts degree asks, Would you like an apple pie with that? Mechanical Engineers, Civil Engineers and Chemical Engineers What is the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Civil Engineers? Mechanical Engineers build weapons; Civil Engineers build targets. Chemical Engineers are engineers that build targets that explode really well.