Profile of Pakistans ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the largest of the countrys five intelligence services. It is a controversial, sometimes rogue organization that Benazir Bhutto, the late Pakistani prime minister, once termed a â€Å"state within a state.† Its tendency to operate outside of the Pakistani government’s control is often at odds with American anti-terror policy in South Asia. The International Business Times ranked the ISI as the top intelligence agency in the world in 2011. How the ISI Became so Powerful The ISI became that â€Å"state within a state† only after 1979, largely thanks to billions of dollars in American and Saudi aid and armament. Covertly channeled exclusively through the ISI to the mujahideen of Afghanistan, such funds aided the fight against Soviet occupation there in the 1980s. Muhammad Zia ul-Haq, Pakistans military dictator from 1977 to 1988 and the countrys first Islamist leader, positioned himself as the indispensable ally of American interests against Soviet expansion in South Asia. Zia promoted ISI as the indispensable clearinghouse through which all aid and armament would flow. Zia, not the CIA, decided which insurgent groups received financial support. The arrangement had far-reaching implications that the CIA didnt foresee, making Zia and the ISI the unlikely (and disastrous, in retrospect) hinge of U.S. policy in South Asia. The ISI’s Complicity With the Taliban For their part, Pakistan’s leaders—Zia, Bhutto, and Pervez Musharraf among them—often used the ISI’s double-dealing skills to their advantage. That’s especially true regarding Pakistan’s relationship with the Taliban, which the ISI helped create in the mid-1990s and subsequently financed, armed, and kept in business to counter India’s influence in Afghanistan. Either directly or indirectly, the ISI never stopped supporting the Taliban even after 2001, when Pakistan ostensibly became an ally of the U.S. in the war on al-Qaeda and the Taliban. British-Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid writes in his analysis of the failed American mission in South Asia between 2001 and 2008: even as some ISI officers were helping U.S. officers locate Taliban targets for U.S. bombers [in 2002], other ISI officers were pumping in fresh armaments to the Taliban. On the Afghan side of the border, [Northern Alliance] intelligence operatives compiled lists of the arriving ISI trucks and handed them to the CIA. Similar patterns continue to this day, especially on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Here, Taliban militants are likely warned by ISI operatives of impending American military action. A Call for the ISI’s Dismantling According to a report by the Defense Academy, a British Ministry of Defense think tank, â€Å"Indirectly, Pakistan [through the ISI] has been supporting terrorism and extremism—whether in London on 7/7 or in Afghanistan or Iraq.† The report called for the dismantling of the ISI. In July 2008, the Pakistani government attempted to bring the ISI under civilian rule. The decision was reversed within hours, thus underscoring the power of the ISI and the weakness of the civilian government. On paper (according to the Pakistani Constitution), the ISI is answerable to the prime minister. In reality, the ISI is officially and effectively a branch of the Pakistani military, itself a semi-autonomous institution that has either overthrown Pakistan’s civilian leadership or ruled over the country for most of its independence since 1947. Located in Islamabad, the ISI boasts a staff of tens of thousands, much of it army officers and enlisted men, but its reach is much more vast. It exercises that reach through retired ISI agents, plus militants under its influence or patronage. These include the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and several extremist groups in Kashmir, a province Pakistan and India have been disputing for decades. The ISI’s Complicity With al-Qaeda As described in Steve Colls history of the CIA and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan since 1979: By the fall of 1998, CIA and other American intelligence reporting had documented many links between ISI, the Taliban, bin Laden and other Islamic militants operating from Afghanistan. Classified American reporting showed that Pakistani intelligence maintained about eight stations inside Afghanistan, staffed by active ISI officers or retired officers on contract. CIA reporting showed that Pakistani intelligence officers at about the colonel level met with bin Laden or his representatives to coordinate access to training camps for volunteer fighters headed for Kashmir. Pakistan’s Overriding Interests in South Asia This pattern reflects Pakistan’s late-90s agenda⠁  Ã¢â‚¬â€which has changed little since⠁  Ã¢â‚¬â€to bleed India in Kashmir and ensure Pakistani influence in Afghanistan, where Iran and India also compete for clout, power, and authority. These controlling factors explain Pakistan’s shifty relationship with the Taliban, bombing in one place while propping it up in another. Should U.S. and NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan (just as American aid ended after the Soviet withdrawal from that country in 1988), Pakistan wants a controlling hand there. Supporting the Taliban is Pakistan’s insurance policy against repeating the situation left behind after American withdrawal at the end of the cold war. As told by Bhutto in 2007, during one of her last interviews: Today, its not just the intelligence services, who were previously called a state within a state. Today its the militants who are becoming yet another little state within the state, and this is leading some people to say that Pakistan is on the slippery slope of being called a failed state. But this is a crisis for Pakistan, that unless we deal with the extremists and the terrorists, our entire state could founder. Pakistan’s successive governments, in large part through the ISI, created the now seemingly out-of-control conditions that prevail in Pakistan and enable the Taliban, al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and other militant groups to call the northwestern part of the country their sanctuary. Resources and Further Reading Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: the Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. Penguin, 2005.Hussain, Yasir. The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Epitome, 2008.â€Å"Key Quotes from the Document.† Newsnight, BBC, 28 Sept. 2006.Rashid, Ahmed. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Penguin, 2009.

Human Trafficking And The United States Essay - 1984 Words

There should be stronger enforcement of the human trafficking policies in the United States. Human trafficking is modern day slavery that consists of men, women, children being forced into sex or labor work. Some think that human trafficking policies shouldn’t be enforced because it brings in money and sometimes the victims choose to be in the business. Human trafficking victims suffer from many health deficits as the result of being trafficked and the cost to help pay for these health deficits are expensive. The trafficking of humans is a huge human rights violation and it needs to be stopped. Human trafficking is modern day slavery and if it was wrong in 1865 when congress passed the 13th amendment, than it is wrong now. The definition of human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of sex and labor. There are two major types of trafficking. The first being sex trafficking, is the recruiting, harboring, transporting, or taking of a person for commercial sex that is induced by force. Labor trafficking being the other, is the recruiting, harboring, transporting, or taking of a person for labor or services. This is done through the use of force for involuntary servitude or slavery. Data collected from The National Human Trafficking Resource Center concludes that victims of trafficking have come from 38 different countries. Some of these include the U.S. itself, Mexico, the Philippines, and China. In almost half of the cases, the origin of the victim was unknownShow MoreRelatedHuman Trafficking And The United States1066 Words   |  5 PagesHuman trafficking has always been a though subject. Most Americans prefer to believe that this is a problem of the past, that it simply does not occur anymore. Others accept the fact that human trafficking exist, but in a far away reality, an incident homed only in poor, third world countries. This couldn’t be farther away from the truth. Human trafficking is a real and current problem in the United States, California being a hotspot for this issue, and with the Super Bowl in 2016 the problem willRead MoreHuman Trafficking And The United States1417 Words   |  6 PagesEach year about 17,500 individuals are brought i nto the United States and become victims of human trafficking. Every country has this problem and it has become the 3rd largest illegal industry worldwide. Human Trafficking is the trade of humans mainly for sexual slavery, but also forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker and sometimes others who take part in this act. Human trafficking is also used for organs or tissues, including surrogacy, ova removal, or making theseRead MoreHuman Trafficking And The United States962 Words   |  4 Pagestakes for cases to be prosecuted and to gain protections is very extensive. Intensifying the existing laws to better defend human trafficking victims is critical.The United States Government, in 2000, certified the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. This act helps prosecute traffickers and support victims. Since then the number of recognized victims of trafficking has risen as well as trials and social service providers working with survivors. Because of this it gives researchers anRead MoreHuman Trafficking And The United States Essay1585 Words   |  7 PagesLooking the other way while close to 50% of the human trafficking in the United States end up in prostitution, what is going on in these states. The over sexed country does not help to stop it when we constantly promote sex in almost every aspect of life. People are losing their life to find a way to get to the United States through different forms of smuggling. Are these the people that we should be letting get in this country? Right under our nose the women, girls are being coerced into prostitutionRead MoreHuman Trafficking : The United States1740 Words   |  7 PagesHUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE UNITED STATES: WHY SOME STATES HAVE MORE HUMAN TRAFFICKING CALLS THAN OTHERS INTRODUCTION Human trafficking is a growing endemic affecting an estimated 35.8 million men, women, and children around the world annually, as reported by the Global Slavery Index (GSI). The United States is not immune to this problem and has successfully identified 21,434 cases of human trafficking through the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline since 2007. As with crimes of thisRead MoreHuman Trafficking : The United States1250 Words   |  5 Pagessomeone talks about child trafficking? Do you think of children from third world countries being kidnapped or sold into the black market of human trafficking? Most of us probably think of human trafficking as being an issue that poor countries just have but, that isn’t the case. Human trafficking is alive and sadly thriving in the United States. According to Trafficking Source Center, 5,544 cases of human trafficking were reported in the United States in 2015. With human trafficking being around for soRead MoreHuman Trafficki ng And The United States Essay751 Words   |  4 PagesFACT SHEET Human trafficking in the United States Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons or modern day slavery, is an affront to the most basic of human freedoms. Human trafficking is a crime that strikes at the very heart of the American promise: freedom. In response to this abhorrent crime, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations have formed strong and growing partnerships aimed at ending this violation of fundamental civil rights and human dignity. 1. WhatRead MoreHuman Trafficking in the United States1603 Words   |  6 Pagesother countries to people in the United States. Imports and exports to and from the U.S include products as wide ranged as food, clothes, and even people. Human trafficking is a worldwide problem, including the United States. Currently, there are approximately 20.9 million people enslaved throughout the world with 2.5 million located in the United States. About 14,500 - 17,500 of foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States every year (Human trafficking statistics). These statistics showRead MoreHuman Trafficking in the United States2403 Words   |  10 PagesHuman Trafficking The United States has always been known for sticking their nose in places where it does not belong. America has been part of wars that could have been avoided, scandals that had nothing to do with the United States. Millions of lives over the years could have been spared if America would have just simply stayed where they belong. What if though, America feels like they have to get involved in forging affairs if they think it can cause or is causing a problem on American soil orRead MoreHuman Trafficking : The United States2136 Words   |  9 PagesHuman trafficking is a prominent problem within the United States that is often overlooked. The definition of human trafficking is, â€Å"Human trafficking - the illegal practice of procuring or trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation† (â€Å"Human trafficking†). People in the United States believe that human trafficking is a problem that occurs in other less dev eloped countries compared to the United States. What these individuals do not realize

Recruitment - Selection and Employee Performance

Question: Senerio ; the right people help businesses to flourish .making a wrong hire costs money ,it can be difficult and the time consuming and having the wrong on board can disrupt the status quo for the other employee (CIPD,2014) therefore the manager need to be aware of the various recruitment methods that are appropriate for their business in addition to this managers needs to be aware of the factors that influence employee performanceAs an HR Consultant ,you are asked to write a report to owners /managers of growing businesses with about 50 -60 employee (small to medium enterprises SMEs)(1)Define the terms recruitment and selection and employee performance your definition should include relevant theoretical references.(2) Critically discuss the appropriateness of using internal and external methods when recruiting staff.(3) Identify and analyse the way in which the following TWO FACTORS can influence employee performance the key factors are ;(a) Training and development(b) Communication (c) Reward distribution(d) Perceptions of fairness(e) Setting performance objectives(4) Conclusion and recommendation conclusion should include a summary of the key discussion. Answer: Introduction An organization is made of the employees who work in it. Though product, services and strategies play a pivotal role in an organizations development, the people who implement them are the crux. It is hence, not an exaggeration when one says that the progress of an organization is heavily dependent on the people who work for it. This simple truth has made Human Resource development a primal need in any organizations development. The HR team who work under this department are responsible for selection, recruitment and growth on the employees. They are responsible to choose employees who can value the vision and mission of the organization and work with the organization to achieve their professional goals and organizational goals. Recruitment can be defined as the process of attracting potential candidates by announcing vacancies through various media and simulating them to apply for the same (Breaugh, 2014). Selection on the other hand can be termed as picking the right employees for the list of applicants or weeding out of unsuitable candidates (Hensvik, 2013). However, an employee selected my look as the right candidate on paper but may not be good in the actual working setup. Or there are situations when employees goals are not in line with the organizational goals. To avoid such cases employee performance is evaluated every cycle. Employee performance can be defined as a system that has inputs such as the employee knowledge and competencies, throughputs such as work behavior and work effort and outputs that is expected from the employee (Shields, 2015). Recruiting methods Say a senior position in a company as become vacant. This post has to be filled up by selecting the appropriate candidate for the post. In such cases, the HR department can take up two approaches. The first is to announce the vacancy within the organization, while the second is to announce the same outside the organization. In simple terms these methods are called as internal recruitment and external recruitment respectively (Williams, 2013). Internal Recruitment Internal recruitment is the process of looking within the organization to find the appropriate employee who can take up the responsibility of the vacant position. This method is usually used when there are considerable number of the employees below the vacant position. There are several ways the same can happen (DeVaro, 2013). Methods Promotion: This is the most common way of filling up a senior position in any company. All the employees under this position are filtered using certain norms such the experience, knowledge, relevance to the position, leadership skills, so on and the appropriate candidate is selected. This is the most awaited need of an employee as a promotion means that the efforts of the employees are being recognized. The common issue with promotions is that the chances of office politics is high. In some cases the chances of envy and jealousy may be high when too many people are eligible for the same position. The promotion process has to be performed in an unbiased and clear manner to make sure that the right candidate is selected. Transfer: One other way to fill up a position is by transferring an employee in the same position as the vacant one from a different department or project to the current available position. Say a project has two project managers. The HR can decide to scale down the number of project managers and move them to new projects instead of recruiting new managers. Though this method is efficient the person being transferred may not have sufficient knowledge in the new work area (Ye, 2016). Need base selection: In this method the organization would announce the vacancy to all the employees through email flashes, bulletin boards, fliers etc., with a minimum qualification clause. All the employee who fulfill the minimum qualification can apply for the vacancy and the appropriate one would be selected. This is one of the best method of selection as all the employees are given equal opportunity Advantages The cost of recruitment is very low The time required for recruitment is low People are already familiar with the business model and the processes in the organization Little or no training is required Recognizes employees efforts and hence is a motivating factor Minimum background checks Disadvantages High chances of politics Dissatisfied employees may resign Chances of getting new innovative ideas into the organization is zeroed. In case of promotions, the candidate selected may not be eligible External Recruitment This process of recruitment opens the doors of the organization to invite new innovative talent into the company. Many organizations use this form of recruitment as it provides a wider base of eligible candidates and is majorly used for higher positions in the organization (Hesselgreaves, 2016) Methods Advertisement: This is the most common form of recruitment. Vacancies are announced social media, recruitment sites, newspapers, bill boards and so on inviting candidates who fulfill minimum qualification. This attracts huge number of candidates and would take a longer period of time. The selection process would contain several levels to eliminate unsuitable candidates References: In this method, the employees working for the organization can recommend candidates for the position. Since the employee is aware of the work environment and the candidate, the chances of getting suitable to candidates is high. However, appropriate references may not be received for challenging positions (Ã…Å ¡lusarczyk, 2014). Campus Recruitment: Majorly followed in case of lower position recruitment. In this method the organization would provide employment offers to student from various universities and colleges. The candidates would have no experience, however, highly motivated and enthusiastic candidates can be selected. Third party recruitment: In cases of positions where the need to understand the organization is not high, third party vendors can be used. Head hunters on the other hand are used to select candidates with specific traits. In both cases, the candidate may not be in line with the organizations vision (Fox, 2015) Advantages Larger pool of candidates is available for recruitment An outsider would have a new perspective of work and hence bring in new ideas Previous experience can be integrated and used for the growth of the organization (Yuan, 2012) Branding of the company increases Disadvantages Time consuming High Cost Candidates may not be able to adopt to the work culture Existing employees of the organization may resist change and hence may not co-operate (Jamil, 2013) Demoralizes existing employees Getting the right profile can be challenging Factors that influence Employee Performance Recruitment and selection are only the starting steps of human resource. It is not necessary that every candidate selected fits perfectly in the organization. No matter what the method of recruitment is, the actually performance of the candidate on field can vary drastically to what is seen in the recruitment process. To ensure that candidates work at their maximum potential and work for the growth of the organization, employee performance evaluation is key. However, before evaluating an employee it is crucial for the organization to make sure that the employee is being provided with all the key inputs required to perform well (Bakker, 2012). Below mention are such two factors that highly influence the performance of an employee Training and Development Learning is a continuous process. Especially in a business that changes continuously adapting new and innovative methods. Any employee that joined an organization would want to make sure that his professional development is ensured. No one would work for somebody who is self-centered. These two key points makes training and development an important factor in an employees performance. Training and development is the means to learn new methods and technologies, there by developing the knowledge base and skills of an employee which are then used in the work being done by the employee. This method is one way that effects the growth of the employee as well as the organization (Salas, 2012). Almost all major organizations around the world have a training and development wing the work to ensure that the employees of the organization gain all the tools required to perform a job. The need to have an employee base with updated skill set will allow the organization provide best services to its clients. There are several Training and development method adopted in any organization. Classroom sessions may be conducted to help employees learn a new technology (Torraco, 2013). E-Libraries, providing journal articles etc., and working in focus groups may also be adopted. Some organizations conduct seminars inviting SME to speak on a particular topic or workshops are conducted for the same. The most common method is on job training, where one can shadow and learn on the field. Training and development ensures that the employees learn more and develop skills and enhance their knowledge base, thereby ensuring a sense of job satisfaction and professional development which would in turn effect employee performance positively. Setting Performance Objectives Working without an objective would be like riding a bike blind folded. Say one is asked to run a race and a goal has not been given, how long would one run? It can be frustrating in working in such environments. And if one is evaluated based on a parameter they dint know, no one would not be satisfied with the evaluation. Performance objectives can hence be defined as a list of things to finish within certain set limits and the final work is evaluated on set parameters. Performance objectives help in setting the tone for the entire period of work. It helps an employee understand what is expected of them, the time frame within which the expectations are to be fulfilled and how these expectations are evaluated. Many firms engage the employees in a one-on-one session with the person evaluating the employee. The evaluators are usually managers with whom the employees would have to work (Certo, 2015). At the beginning of a work cycle the evaluator and the employee discuss on what needs to be done by the employee. A mutually agreed set of objectives are drawn for the employee to fulfill. These objectives act as guide to the employee helping him align his work. The employee himself would be able to evaluate how well he has performed. This would be a motivating factor in helping him work harder. The employee need not guess what is expected of him but would rather be able to a focus on the set objectives (Bernardin, 2013). Performance objectives set perspective of an employee and provide their managers with a guideline of what to expect from the employee there by making evaluation of an employees performance easier Conclusion Every organization is made up of employee. It is the people that work for an organization who determine how the organizations various aspects would be implemented. Hence it is crucial for the organization to select the right set of candidates who are not only skilled but also are in line with the organizations values, goals, mission and vision. To ensure that the right candidates are selected, human resource department perform recruitment and selection process where vacancies are announced and the right set of candidates from the available pool are selected. Post recruitment the performance of every employee would have to be evaluated to make sure that the productivity is high. Before evaluation it is important that the organization provides all the factors that are needed for an employee to perform well. Two such factors are training and development helping the employee to grow professionally and setting performance objectives that make sure that the employee knows what needs to be done. Though seen as simple factors both the above can be highly motivating thereby helping both the employee and the organization progress References Bakker, A.B., Demerouti, E. and Lieke, L., 2012. Work engagement, performance, and active learning: The role of conscientiousness. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(2), pp.555-564. Bernardin, H.J. and Wiatrowski, M., 2013. Performance appraisal. Psychology and Policing, 257. Breaugh, J., 2014, July. Employee recruitment. In Meeting the Challenge of Human Resource Management: A Communication Perspective (p. 29). Routledge. Certo, S., 2015. Supervision: Concepts and skill-building. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. DeVaro, J. and Morita, H., 2013. Internal promotion and external recruitment: a theoretical and empirical analysis. Journal of Labor Economics, 31(2), pp.227-269. Fox, S., 2015. An examination into the importance of recruitment and selection in a business; should it be considered an internal HR function or outsourced to a specialist? (Doctoral dissertation, Dublin, National College of Ireland). Hensvik, L. and Skans, O.N., 2013. Social networks, employee selection and labor market outcomes: Toward an empirical analysis. Journal of Labor Economics, forthcoming. Hesselgreaves, H., Wood, B., Carter, M., Gibbins, C. and Illing, J., 2016. Factors affecting recruitment to higher specialty training: a questionnaire study. Future Hospital Journal, 3(Suppl 2), pp.s42-s42. Jamil, R. and Naeem, H., 2013. The impact of outsourcing external recruitment process on the employee commitment and loyalty: empirical evidence from the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. Journal of Business and Management, 8(2), pp.68-75. Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S.I., Kraiger, K. and Smith-Jentsch, K.A., 2012. The science of training and development in organizations: What matters in practice. Psychological science in the public interest, 13(2), pp.74-101. Shields, J., Brown, M., Kaine, S., Dolle-Samuel, C., North-Samardzic, A., McLean, P., Johns, R., Robinson, J., O'Leary, P. and Plimmer, G., 2015. Managing Employee Performance Reward: Concepts, Practices, Strategies. Cambridge University Press. Ã…Å ¡lusarczyk, B. and Golnik, R., 2014. The recruitment process in transnational corporations. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 10. Torraco, R.J., 2016. Early history of the fields of practice of training and development and organization development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, p.1523422316659898. Williams, T., 2013. Internal Versus External Recruitment-Which is Best?. Ye, M., de Salas, K. and Ollington, N., 2016. Internal versus external recruitment the story of three consecutive project managers in an IT project. arXiv preprint arXiv:1606.00878. Yuan, Y.K.T., 2012. Internal Promotion or External Recruitment: The President Recruitment Model in Top Asian Universitie [J]. Tsinghua Journal of Education, 1, p.008.

Langston Hughes Research Paper Essay Example

Langston Hughes Research Paper Paper When one looks at the life of Langston Hughes, it becomes apparent that his life experiences had a profound impact on his writings. Langston Hughes used his writing as a way to fight the injustice that blacks in America faced daily; he viewed his book as his weapon for African American equality (Ostrom 81). Others, who read Hughes’ work during his lifetime, were very much influenced, despite their race. Non-blacks learned to accept and learn that African American artists were an essential part of American art and culture and would continue to be as time advanced. With his career in writing, Hughes was not interested in the fame it brought; he just wanted others to understand the message he was trying to send, â€Å"Perhaps the mission of an artist is to interpret the beauty to the people-the beauty within themselves† (Dace 70). Langston Hughes did not often focus on the brutality of American racism as a theme for his poems. A rare instance of the brutality used as a theme for a poem of his is shown in Hughes’ poem entitled, â€Å"Song for a Dark Girl.† Hughes writes: â€Å"Way Down South in Dixie (Break the heart if me) They hung my dark young lover To a cross roads tree. Way Down South in Dixie (Bruised body high in the air) I asked the white Lord Jesus What was the use of prayer. Way Down South in Dixie (Break the heart of me) Love is a naked shadow On a gnarled and naked tree.† (Barksdale 77) The poem is written entirely in the tone of bitter irony. The poem’s focus is on violence towards a young black woman, and also on the grief she experiences (Dace 73). We will write a custom essay sample on Langston Hughes Research Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Langston Hughes Research Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Langston Hughes Research Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another social issue which became an essential theme in the writing of Langston Hughes was economic justice. Hughes became interested in the subject during the Great Depression of America during the 1930’s. Hughes often traveled extensively due to his participation in complicated, annual lecture tours, because of this he often gained knowledge and related and compared black lifestyles and treatment in America to that of other society’s treatment of blacks. After visiting Russia for three weeks, having the mindset that socialism would end the issue of economic injustice, Hughes changed his mind. He saw that people were not equal and the government did not do their part to help improve that (). While visiting France and seeing that the French society as a whole treated him very well and as their equal, Hughes imagined having this sort of freedom and luxury at home in America. Although Hughes did not often focus on the theme of racism in his poetry, he did usually focus on the comparison of whites and blacks. Hughes constantly remained well informed about everything to come and everything taking place in the black society of America (Dace 77). Hughes had many influences to his poetry writing, including Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg, these two men wrote about the humanity of all people regardless of factors such as class, race, gender, and age, this was very important to Hughes. Hughes’ very first collection of poetry, entitled The Ways of White Folks, shows his effort to present a clear and distinct gap between white and African American ways and views of life. It also focuses on the obvious hypocrisy of whites in matters dealing with race. In all of Hughes’ writing dealing with the matter of differences between races, Hughes uses a distinctly ironic and unsentimental tone. Steven C, Tracy, writes on Langston Hughes, â€Å"The acceptance that Hughes sought was not only for himself but the black oral tradition†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Barksdale 116). As an African American himself, Hughes wanted to express not only his personal experiences as a black American but also that of the experiences of the community of blacks in general. Hughes, however, was not entirely considered a part of the people for whom he wrote about and loved so much. Due to Hughes’ â€Å"mixed blood† and the fact that he was a lighter skinned African American, with an arrogant family who chose to move in white crowds, attend white schools, and with a father who looked down upon the lower black class, Hughes was viewed by American blacks as an outsider (Dace 86). Despite all of that, Hughes was proud to be an African America, he loved Africa, his land of ancestry and was extremely devastated to find that, in Africa, he was considered to be a white man. Hughes’ first commitment in his writing was to that of the African American community and that his writing reaches out to all readers. He wanted to capture the dominant traditions of black people in written form. Hughes’ purpose may have been achieved, as today his book of poetry, The Crisis (1921), can be considered the most important journal of black life (Dace 90). In his writing, Hughes celebrates the beauty of African American speech, and the black community’s jokes, stories, music, and church sermons. One community Hughes never tired of writing about was that of the black community on Seventh Street in Washington D.C., he loved the sights, sounds, and spirits of the people here and he tried to capture all of it in his poetry. With his writing, Hughes helped lift the spirits of blacks and make them proud of their culture’s history and heritage (Dace 101). To be black and American were two highly separate identities in the eyes of Langston Hughes; they were two despairs within the same soul. In Hughes’ early poems on segregation, such as â€Å"I, Too, Sing America† Hughes focuses in on the difficulties of being black, but shows that he is also proud: â€Å"I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, ‘Eat in the kitchen,’ Then. Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed– I, too, am America.† (Dace 103) Hughes was very passionate about the mistreatment of blacks in the south, the fact that blacks had to move off of the sidewalks for whites to pass, and there was no eye contact allowed to those of black to whites, greatly angered and disturbed him, driving him to write more poems about the mistreatment of him and his people. His later poems dealing with equality, although still somewhat pessimistic, suggested that idea that at some point in the future, the lifestyle of African Americans would be bright (Dace 125).Langston Hughes is greatly known for his writing on the Harlem Renaissance, an era of celebration for African Americans and their arts. Hughes viewed Harlem as more than a place; he was interested in its people and everything about them, from their manners to their dreams. He used the people and things in Harlem in much of his writing, from murder in the streets of Harlem to the gospels sung in church on Sunday mornings. The Harlem Renaissance allowed Hughes the freedom to focus on exclusively blacks and their lifestyle and to leave the issue of the conflict of races alone (Barksdale 123). Langston Hughes is a great figure in the history of African Americans, and in the history of our country as a whole. His ideas and unique methods of writing have developed into great techniques for many other artists and are still used today. Hughes was never afraid to write on topics close to him and did this with great pride and ability. He dealt with his emotions, the issues of his race’s past, and critical social issues taking place during his lifetime. He has earned a lot of respect not only for himself through his writing, but also for his culture of people as a whole.