Fifty years after declaration of the People's Republic of China in October 1949 and thirty years after U.S. establishment of full diplomatic relations with PRC in January 1979 the question of Taiwan still remains one of the main and sometimes even very explosive topics in Sino-American relations. This fact proves how important the fate of Taiwan is for the USA as well as for the PRC. This paper compares American foreign policy toward China over Taiwan during Clinton administration (1993-2001) and Bush administration (2001-2009). Based upon analysis of historical development of American relations to China the cornerstone for the policy toward the PRC and Taiwan is presented. This cornerstone characterised by strategic ambiguity represents ground for the comparison of both presidents.

Bush meat markets and habitat encroachment are on the increase, and the current demand for crocodilian bush meat is not sustainable. Of the three species of African crocodiles, the dwarf crocodile, Osteolaemus tetraspis, is by far the most heavily hunted. This preference is influenced by its small size and relatively non-aggressive nature, which facilitates easy capture, and further it stays alive while being transported to markets. The location of bush meat markets is determined by human population density and infrastructure. In general, a lack of infrastructure, whether it be a river or a paved road, implies only subsistence hunting. Many officially protected areas, where animals should be safe from depredation by humans, are not actually safe havens for O. tetraspis. There is often a lack of protection inside and around national parks in Central Africa, and when conducting research into this specific species, it was found that often more animals can be found per day in a bush meat market, compared with the same amount of effort in a national park. Crocodile mortality caused by people, both deliberate and inadvertent, must be controlled. However, conservation should be within the realms of politics, economics, ecology and social problems at a local level. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

The topic of the diploma thesis is a comparison of the American activities during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama towards Iran, in regard to the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation. It observes the diplomatic actions in relation to Iran and other actors, who play an important role in this issue, and also some other methods, used by the world's leading superpower to prevent Iran from the development of nuclear weapons. The mentioned topic is situated into the broader context of continuity and change in the US security and foreign policy. The objective of the diploma thesis is to assess what where the differences in the US actions under Obama's administration, compared with the actions during the presidency of his predecessor, as well as how the Obama's administration followed them, and to assess how effective these actions were.

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Atriplex is a genus in the Chenopodiaceae, the perennial members of which are ecologically important in western North America. Seventeen species and one subspecies of perennial Atriplex occur in Utah and the northern deserts. Three of these species and the subspecies were described by the writer in a recent publication as a result of extensive field work leading to this study. These are A. welshii, A. navajoensis, A. bonnevillensis, and A. cuneata ssp. introgressa. This study is an investigation of the systematics and phytogeography of the perennial Atriplex in Utah and the northern deserts, with emphasis on the A. gardneri and A. garrettii groups. Since the publication of the Phylogenetic Method in Taxonomy (Hall and Clements, 1923) little systematic work has been done on North American Atriplex. The results of this study indicate that considerable reorganization of taxa occurring within the northern deserts is necessary. The five species formerly classified within A. "nuttallii" Wats. are considered specifically distinct because they are not only discrete morphologically, but soil analysis indicate they have differing edaphic requirements and do not interbreed when sympatric. Nine hybrids are fully discussed. Of these, only one was previously recognized as a hybrid. In addition, one species (A. bonnevillensis) and the subspecies (A. cuneata ssp. introgressa) were found to be of hybrid origin. Scatter diagram analyses are included for six of these hybrids and their parents and the two taxa of hybrid origin. Each taxon is thoroughly described and collection sites are given. Almost all the northern desert species and their hybrids are figured with photographs, and the newly described species and members of the A. "nyttallii" group are figured with line drawings. As the fruiting bract appears to have the most useful diagnostic value, these are illustrated for all northern desert species and hybrids. An attempt has been made to put the nomenclature in order and all synonyms are given. The epithet A. "nuttallii" Wets. is invalid because it is antedated by A. gardneri (Moq.) Dietr .

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Cloaked in the ambition of the "war on terror" and buoyed by the unwavering post-9/11 support, the United States engaged in a bombing campaign in Iraq followed by an invasion in March 2003. In preparation for the 2003 invasion, the United States built a complicated case for war based on several problematic bodies of evidence and then presented this evidence to the American people and the international community; this disputed evidence was collected to justify the invasion of Iraq. The tenets of the case for war included: the connection of Saddam Hussein to the events of 9/11, the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and the unknown motives and future actions of an evil dictator. The United States is now over five years into the war, and the overarching sentiment among the American people is that the war in Iraq was based on faulty information and that "evidence" used to justify the war was either mostly unfounded or even fabricated. Given this problematic evidence to support the official justifications for war, the research question is "Why did the United States still invade Iraq in March 2003?" Clearly, there is not a definitive answer to the research question. The variables for engaging in war are very complex. Often times the benefit of time passage will allow scholars to obtain a more focused understanding of "why" a sovereign power engaged in a particular war. We are not yet at a point where we can write definitively about "why" the US invaded Iraq in 2003. However, it is possible to present an analytical case regarding the reasons used in the time leading up to the US invasion of Iraq. In this thesis, the evidence has been explored, and the result is a presentation, an assessment of the evidence to make a case for why the US invaded Iraq. Many different political opinions and theories have been advanced to explain why the United States entered this war. Several credible scholars and journalists have made meaningful contributions to the study of this war and the justifications used by the White House for it. It is possible to provide a preliminary framework for understanding why the United States invaded Iraq by using current events literature, official documents and other available sources to document the war in the absence of the official, classified documents. Based on an assessment of available evidence, this thesis proposes that one of the primary reasons for the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 centers on oil; the US was interested in protecting its oil interests and what the White House saw as US geo-strategic position in the Middle East. / Master of Arts