Athens VS Sparta Essay

Athens and Sparta were two of the greatest Greek city states ever. Not only do these two cities have many differences but they also have some things in common too. But only one could be the best, was it Sparta or Athens? Many people think that Sparta and Athens were completely different, but this is not true, they had many similarities. To start off they were both two of the most powerful and important city states in ancient Greece. Sparta with it amazing army and Athens cultural legacy, they both set the stage for the history of ancient Greece. These two cities’ also had very strict social classes, for example in both city’s wealthy land owners were the top class and slaves were the bottom class. Sparta and Athens were both strong in certain militaristic areas. Athens had very powerful Navy, while Sparta had one of the best Army’s in ancient times. Lastly, both belonged to leagues of allies. Sparta belonged to the Peloponnesian league and Athens belonged to the Delian League. Although Athens and Sparta have things in common they were more different than they were alike. For example the lives of the Spartans revolved around war, preparing for war, educating their kids for war and conquering other countries during war. While Athens had other priorities, like culture, art, education and unification. Spartan children were only educated in the art of battle and taught how to fight, while Athenian children were educated in math, music, poetry and sports. Spartan women also had more rights than Athenian women. Women in Athens were not allowed to leave their homes or participate in any events; they were considered property of their husbands and were responsible for the household duties. On the other hand Spartan women were educated in reading and writing, could participate in sports, own their own land and were treated more as equals. Sparta was one of the first places in the world to start women’s rights. The governments in these two city states were also very different. In Athens there was a direct democracy, meaning all the male citizens of Athens could vote on the laws being passed. Athens believed that all citizens should be included in government decisions and tried to unite the people. Sparta though, had an Oligarchy which was ruled by 2 kings who were usually in command of the armies. Lastly, the cultures of Athens and Sparta were very different. Athens was a united beautiful city full of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, science, medicine and they enjoyed a variety of luxurious foods in their diets. Although, Sparta on the other hand was not very unified, extremely military based and the people didn’t enjoy many luxuries for example the Spartan diet mainly consisted of pork, blood, salt and vinegar. Athens and Sparta were both wonderful cities but only one could be the best, and that was Athens. Athens was the better city in pretty much all aspects of life. The people prospered in Athens they enjoyed fine dining and art, unlike those in Sparta. Athens focused on so much more than just war; this is why Athens was the city that had some of the best cultural achievements in ancient society. They made beautiful art, medical advancements and were one of the first democratic governments, paving the way for countries today like the USA. Athens was cleaner, nicer and prettier which would have made it a much more enjoyable place to live. Athens may not have had as good of an army as Sparta but in the end cultural and society advancements are more important than having the best army in the world. All these reasons and more just shows how much better Athens is than Sparta. Two of the most powerful cities’ in the ancient times, Sparta and Athens were alike and different. They were both unique in different ways and each thrived in different areas. But in the end, it is an obvious choice that Athens was clearly the better Greek City State.

Executive Remuneration Analysis of Vodafone

Executive Remuneration Analysis of Vodafone 1. Introduction Executive remuneration is the compensation which company rewards for the executive directors. Since the early 1980s, executive payment increase rapidly. The unjustified increasing of executive remuneration pushes the reform of remuneration policy. The Cadbury code mentioned this problem in the Code of Practice in 1995. Cadbury gives some suggestions to companies about the executive remuneration policy.According to his suggestions, companies should dividend total payment into the basic salary and performance-based bonus, and the remuneration report should publish in the annual reporting every year [1]. In additional, UK government provides the vote right for shareholders to supervise the company’s executive remuneration, it also can force executive directors taking investors’ interest into account when they design the company strategy [2]. The analysis of big companies’ remuneration policy is more emphasi ze by investors and government, especially after the 2008 financial crisis.Investors are paying more attention to whether the executives deserve the high reward. Therefore, the analysis of executive remuneration is more necessary and valuable. Companies in FTSE 100 have the highest market capitalization in UK, and it means the analysis of FTSE 100 companies is most valuable. Vodafone Group, as one of the biggest company in the FTSE 100 companies, has business in almost 70 countries. And the market capitalization is nearly ? 90bn [3]. Last year, Vittorio Calao, the CEO? of Vodafone received around ? 0m for remuneration in fiscal year 2012, which is one of the highest remuneration in the FTSE 100 [4]. Although the executive rewards are higher than others in the FTSE 100, there still are 96. 12% shareholders voting in favour with the Vodafone’s remuneration policy [5]. This raises the question that why there are a huge amount of shareholders convincingly supports their highest r emuneration. This essay analyses the executive remuneration for Vodafone Group. Firstly, it will talk about the remuneration principle. Then the Remuneration Committee will be discussed.This part aims to measure whether the Remuneration Committee according to the UK Corporate Governance Code. The third part will explain the remuneration package of Vodafone Group, both base salary and various bonuses are included. At last, the essay will discuss the rationality of Vodafone’s executive remuneration from the perspectives of remuneration policy itself and the comparison with other companies. 2. Remuneration principle The aim of Vodafone’s executive remuneration is driving executives to achieve the company’s long-term strategic goals by offering an attractive and competitive reward [6].Vodafone wishes to make sure that their executive directors keeping in the highest level in work by providing an attractive payment. For example, a part of rewards are measured by the performance for this year. Therefore, executive directors were given an opportunity to achieve the truly exceptional performance. The remuneration package is determined by Remuneration Committee after Comprehensive consideration. The Remuneration Committee will choose some relevant group of comparators when setting total reward. It makes sure that the executive remuneration policies are considered on a total compensation basis.The comparators are choosing from some basic considerations, which are as follows: 1) top European companies, 2) top UK companies, 3) particularly for scarce skills, and 4) the relevant market in question [6]. These comparators mean that Europe is the major region for business for Vodafone, and the company is original from UK. According to above three principles, the external comparators are consisting by similar size companies, and the European top 25 companies and a few other select companies relevant to the sector.Additionally, the external comparator group do not including the financial companies, such as bank and insurance company. Another important Remuneration principle is that the rewards will related to the performance both long-term and short-term. According to the Annual Report of 2012, performance-based reward account for 70% in the whole remuneration package [6]. Vodafone build a link between executive directors and shareholders by this way, in order to force executive directors think about shareholders’ interest. 3. Remuneration CommitteeAccording to the UK Corporate Governance Code, the Remuneration Committee must include at least three independent non-executive directors [7]. The Remuneration Committee of Vodafone is consisting by independent non-executive directors and running independently in the company. The chairman of Remuneration Committee is Luc Vandevelde, and there are another five members in the Remuneration Committee. All of them are the non-executive directors in company. There also are two external adv isors: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (‘pwc’) and Towers Watson.Pwc is responsible for performance analysis and giving suggestions about company strategy and measuring the performance. It also supports the international business of Vodafone, such as tax, finance, compliance and operations. Another external advisor Towers Watson provides the market data of executive payment to Remuneration Committee. They also manage the pensions and benefit for Vodafone [6]. There are a lot of factors need to be considered by Remuneration Committee when deciding the payment package. Firstly, Remuneration Committee consults the CEO and HR directors’ opinion of the appropriate reward package for executives.Secondly, the external advisors give the Committee another perspective form the external information analysis. They can provide the benchmark of directors’ reward about other similar company on the market. Additionally, Committee also take the company’s strategy into ac count, both long-term and short-term are important. In fiscal year 2012, Remuneration Committee had five meetings to discuss the Short-Term Incentive bonus, Long-Term Incentive plan and basic salary in order to determine the total remuneration packages of the executive directors appropriately [6].Remuneration Committee particularly report four chief executive directors in the Directors’ Remuneration Report, including Chief Executive Vittotio Colao, Chief Financial Officer Andy Halford, Chief Technology Officer Stephen Pusey and Regional CEO Europe Michel Combes, and the reporting also include the reward of non-executive directors. 4. Remuneration package The Vodafone remuneration package is divided into five parts: base salary, Global Short-Term Incentive Plan (‘GSTIP’), Global Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘GLTI’) base awards, Global Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘GLTI’) co-investment matching awards and benefit [6].These parts reflect the remu neration policy of Vodafone which make the executives holing a lot of company shares to align the interest of executive directors and investors. It also obeys the UK Corporate Governance Code that keeping the reward in a level which is attractive and motivate to the directors, and designing the performance- related income based on long-term strategy. Base salary aims to attract and retain the best talents. It reflects the directors’ level of skill, experience and the responsibility in Vodafone. In fiscal year 2012, Committee decided the base salary stay at the same level with 2011[6].Global (‘GSTIP’) measure the performance in this financial year with the short- term financial and non- financial target, and the GSTIP is paid in cash in June 2013. The related performance is service revenue (25%), EBITDA (25%), adjusted free cash flow (20%) and competitive performance assessment (30%). This bonus can flow from 0-200% of base salary, and it reward 93. 4% of target f or financial year 2012[6]. Global Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘GLTI’) is consist of performance shares which award every year and vest three years later to force directors on the Vodafone’s long-term strategy.The vesting of performance shares is determined by the adjusted free cash flow and relative TSR performance. Both operational performance and external performance are included in the two measures in GLTI. The target GLTI face value of CEO is 137. 5% for basic salary, and 110% for other directors. In this year, executive directors was rewarded the vesting the shares of 2008 fiscal year at 30. 6% of maximum [6]. Global Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘GLTI’) co-investment matching awards means that executive directors can purchase Vodafone normal shares and turning them to performance shares after holding three years.Benefit is the pension scheme for the executive director and other benefit such as company car and private medical insurance. 5. Analysis of the director remuneration Figure 1 Total remuneration for 2012 (based on Vodafone 2012 Annual Report) The Figure 1 shows the detail of the total remuneration for fiscal year 2012 including a value for GLTI payment. Without the GLTI vesting during this year, Vodafone actually paid 30. 35m pounds to CEO Colao, 19. 27m pounds to CFO Halford, 21m pounds to Europe region CEO Combes, and 14. 08m pounds for CTO Pusey [6].The Figure 1 illustrates that all the four chief executive directors’ incomes are increasing except the CTO Pusey. Although the total rewards were general increased, GSTIP for fiscal year 2012 was decreasing. In the meanwhile, salary and cash in lieu of pension were keeping in the similar level with last year. Therefore, the increasing of total remuneration was due to the significant increasing of the item cash in lieu of GLTI dividends. During the fiscal year 2012, the Global Short-Term Incentive was deduct from last year. The total actual short term incentive pay ment was 93. %, while the target payment is 100% and the maximum payment is 200% for the basic salary [6]. According to the remuneration policy of Vodafone, GSTIP is influenced by the performance for this year. There are four indicates to measure the GSTIP: service revenue, EBITDA, adjusted free cash flow and competitive performance assessment. According to the 2012 annual report, the service revenue slightly increased to 46. 4bn pounds, which was just arrival the target performance [6]. However, the EBITAD and adjust free cash flow were cut down, especially the adjust free cash flow.Because of the loss of China Mobile Limited and the dividends of SFR, the actual pay-out percentage for adjust free cash flow is 8. 5, while the target performance is 20% in the whole GSTIP [6]. The policy of GSTIP is related to both the financial and non-financial performance in this year in order to measure the executive short-term performance in a rational way. The target performance is not only base d on the Vodafone’s strategy and past operation, but also taking the long-term strategy into account. Figure 2 Adjust free cash flow target and range for awards Based on Vodafone 2012 Annual Report) Figure 3 GLTI award for 2008 & 2009 (based on Vodafone 2012 Annual Report) Opposite the reducing of DSTIP, cash for Global Long-Term Incentive Plan is significant increase. The GLTI is determined by adjust free cash flow and the TSR outperformance of a peer group median. These two indicators consist a matrix in order to measure the internal operational performance and external performance. The long-term operation cycle is three years which means the target performance of financial year 2012 was settled in 2010.According to Figure 2, the target for 2012 is 18bn pounds, while the actual adjusted free cash flow for 2012 was 20. 9bn pounds [6]. Another important measure is the TSR performance. The figure 3 shows that Vodafone’s TSR was outperformance than the peer group which c onstitute by the similar size companies. The TSR performance increasing by 18. 5% in 2012, and exceed the target number. Therefore, the TSR performance for 2012 was paid by 100% of maximum to executive directors, while there is only 30% in 2011.Figure 4 Five year historical TSR performance (based on Vodafone 2012 Annual Report) Table 1 Comparison of Vodafone & BT Group (Base on [6] [8] [9] [10]) 201220112010 CEO Reward ?000Total Revenue ?bnCEO Reward ?000Total Revenue ?bnCEO Reward ?000Total Revenue ?bn Vodafone303546. 46282645. 88266844. 47 BT Group250518. 90235920. 1210520. 1 To compare with other similar size companies in UK, figure 4 reflects the Vodafone TSR performance compare with the average level of FSTE 100. From this figure, it indicates that Vodafone’s TSR performance is higher than the average level of FSTE 100.It means that the Vodafone Group is in a better operation situation among FSTE 100 companies. Therefore, it is reasonable that Vodafone’s executive remuneration is higher than the similar size companies. Additionally, the comparison in Table 1 is shown in similar result. BT Group is another strong competitor of Vodafone in UK telecommunication industry. The numbers in table 1 are published in the annual report for the two companies from 2010 to 2012. The total revenue of Vodafone is basically twice as much as BT Group, while the difference between the CEO remuneration is just around ? m in the three years. Through above analysis, Vodafone remuneration is in a rational level, and it is corresponding to its operation performance. 6. Conclusion All in all, Vodafone executive remuneration is acceptable and in a rational level. It not only reflects the operation performance but also obey the rules of UK Corporate Governance Code. The executive remuneration is setting by an independent remuneration committee which consist by five non-executive directors and two external advisors.The remuneration report is published by Remuneration C ommittee in Vodafone’s Annual Report. The remuneration package divide into base salary, Global Short-Term Incentive Plan (‘GSTIP’), Global Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘GLTI’) base awards, Global Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘GLTI’) co-investment matching awards and benefit. Through these five parts, executive reward is related to performance and the investor interest, and can help executives focusing on company’s strategy. Therefore, Vodafone executive remuneration can be seen as a good example in executive remuneration policy.

The Theory of Michelangelo’s Architecture

Michelangelo’s architecture was revolutionary to say the least when observed against the backdrop of the then accepted norms in architecture and arts in general. During his time, architects usually think of architecture and arts in universal terms as seeing the works per se as composed of mathematical numbers (measurements) or geometry. Artists of the Renaissance period expressed their arts in more commonly in abstract forms. Michelangelo, on the other hand, feels, sees, and would interact with his art as though it is an animated thing (p 38). Indeed, it is enlightening to approach a structural design through the lenses of such a genius as the Master. It is important to get enough acquaintance with the anatomy of the whole thing. For Michelangelo, the building is not just a building, but like the human body, it lives and breathes; therefore he could look at a structure and see every part of it as having its unique and special function – as nose, eyes, arms, and other parts of the body have their own special purposes for the proper functioning of the whole physique to the full benefit of the man. While the writers of medieval times would draw their ideas of architectural outline from the human anatomy, most of them do not conceive of the body as a life form. When drawing from the human body any architectural ideas, the assumed perception is that the body is a miniature of the universe with all its parts functioning in perfect harmony. This perfect synchronization though, according to the prevailing notions of the artists of those days, could not be achieved practically since – according to them – it was only an ideal and therefore could not be possibly realized in actuality. Hence, the use of numbers and measurements – in short, geometrical approach. For example, one can just look at the available models, such as those crafted by Francisco Di Giorgio (ideal church plan p. 39), and Cesariano (the Vitruvian Figure, 1521 p 40). The said models, as can be observed, are both replicas of the human body. These architectural designs were common in medieval period. Michelangelo’s attitude was somewhat off tangent when compared to his peers. Indeed, he was different and was very free in terms of his individuality, especially as it was applied to his works. Whereas his contemporaries have chosen to settle for the perfections of mathematical figures/measurements, Michelangelo argued for (as attested in his works) the â€Å"motions† and the â€Å"emotions. For Michelangelo, everything from the observer to the object – including the vast backdrop of the surroundings – are all interconnected, that when an artist sets himself to plan a building, he should consider the presumed interplay between the object (the architectural design of the building), its backdrop (the environment), and the observer. Remember, the structural design for Michelangelo was a dynamic thing which exerts its influence to the observers.

Case About Anthony Tan

Concise Summary of Case – Anthony Tan was one of the most wanted men as he was allegedly charged for murder of Bosnian refugee and Rebels bikie, Edin â€Å"Boz† Smajovic. After 2 years building an export business in Vietnam, he read a media report from NSW, describing him as one of the state’s most wanted men. He was unaware for 2 years of the police hunt for him. He immediately got on the phone, first his lawyer, then to an airline. He was more than willing to return to Australia to fight his allegations.In the end he was arrested and charged for the murder and held on remand in prison for over a year. When he granted bail in August, his trial was to start that same week. Both Anthony Tan and co-accused Nathan Keith Reddy and taken to court. Once the case reached the Supreme Court, the case was dismissed even before the trial had started. This was because, it was understood that the case failed partly due to an alleged confession from a prosecution witness. Juri sdictions of all courts involved –The two courts involved in this case were the Central Local Court and the Supreme Court. The jurisdictions for the local court include the majority of criminal, summary prosecutions in NSW and with civil matters up to $100,000. It also conducts committal proceedings to determine whether or not indictable offences are to be committed to the District and Supreme Court. Meanwhile the jurisdictions for the Supreme Court has unlimited civil jurisdictions and handles claims of more than $750,000. It also deals with the most serious criminal matters, including murder and treason.The initial court for this case (Central Local Court) had refused bail, but when it reached the Supreme Court, the case was dismissed even before the trail had even started. Area of law – The Anthony Tan case was a public, criminal case, as Anthony allegedly broke the criminal law, which is part of the public law (also known as the Common law). The standard of proof i s the amount of evidence which a plaintiff or prosecuting attorney, in a criminal case, must be presented in a trial in order to win.As for a civil case the standard of proof is generally that the plaintiff must prove this case by majority (51%) of the evidence. The standard of proof for this case was it was beyond reasonable doubt. The standard of proof needed for a criminal case is that there must be no reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime in order to convict the defendant. The standard of proof in this criminal case, which resulted in the freedom of Mr. Tan, was an alleged confession from a prosecution witness, which led to the case to fail.Was a jury used? Why or why not? – A jury is usually used in the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court judge had dismissed the case on technical terms, therefore a jury was not needed. It was an interesting case due to the fact that Tan was innocent yet held in jail for more than 1 year. This had a major impact on Anth ony Tan’s life, reputation and his future. For a case that would of continued in the Supreme Court, a jury would have been selected, but due to the fact that the case was dismissed, a jury was not needed.Is a jury effective? – A jury is a group of citizens (usually of 12) who hears the testimony in legal disputes and determines what they believe is the truth. The word jury is derived from the French word jurer, which means, â€Å"to swear an oath. † The jury has generally been successful because their peers judge the accused and the public plays a role in the criminal justice system, as they make the community feel as though they have a voice in situations that concern society at large.The jury is there to represent a cross-section of society and they provide a range of perceptions. Also the responsibility for the verdict is spread across 12 jurors and the system acts as a safety net against corrupt and oppressive conduct by state and/or police force. The jury i s also carefully selected to avoid bias, prejudice, racist, sexist or any other form of discrimination, which can influence the verdict. Also the defense council can remove a juror, if they feel uncomfortable with them being in the jury.

Separation of Colored Molecules Based on their Molecular Lab Report

Separation of Colored Molecules Based on their Molecular - Lab Report Example Chromatography is the method used in separating and analyzing complex mixtures. The separation process consists of a moving phase and a stationary phase. The mixture that is to be isolated is in the moving phase and it is made to pass through the immobile phase. Gel filtration is a procedure by which molecules are removed from a mixture based on their molecular shape and size. In gel filtration chromatography, the stationary phase consists of beads that have pores which span a narrow range that determines the size of the macromolecules to be fractioned. Large molecules that are large to enter the pores of the beads are separated thus comes out of the column first. Examples of gels used in gel filtration are Dextran, Polyacrylamide, and Agarose. When the column of Sephadex gel particles are packed: the volume of the solvent in the beads makes the internal volume (Vi) and that outside makes the external volume (Ve). The volume of the polymer forms the gel matrix volume (Vg). Bed volume is given by: The elution volume of a molecular substance is the volume of solvent that is needed to move out of that substance. Its least amount is the void volume. Small molecules have higher volume available them than the void volume. Where Kd is the coefficient of distribution and molecules have Kd between 0 and 1.The gel filtration column is divided into proteins of known molecular weight and then the Kd of each protein is calculated. The graph of Kd against log10 molecular weight is plotted and this graph allows the molecular weight of the unknown protein to be read from it. The buffer on top of the column was allowed to drain up to the level of the gel until the meniscus just disappeared.

Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate governance - Essay Example However, with tightening the belt on the expenditure Stamford International could realize a fruitful financial year as the previous year. With a successful previous financial year, the company has been reluctant to ensure that all expenditure and incomes in the company are appropriately analyzed. The company needs to streamline all the departmental heads. The departmental head should ensure all expenses in the departmental are tightened in order to provide extra cents in value in the earning per share. The effort the staff had displayed did not continue. We had achieved more than the company’s expectations. This made all staff members relax. If this continues, the earning per share may reach a record low value of 3 cents per share. Regardless of the internal conflicts a company has; the investors and stakeholders should not be dragged to the mud. The current situation may result to stakeholders selling their shares at a lower price. In this first quarter, the value per share i s at 47 cents. This is a 5 cent deficit from the previous year’s first quarter earnings. If all departments could maximize their efforts, the company would even be able to exceed the value of 52 cents per share. The earning 52 cents per share in one quarter shows the potential of this organization. In the board meeting we had after the first results of this quarter, all the shareholders had recommendations and corrections they would have implemented. These recommendations would enable the organization to add the value of its share. From the meeting, I realized the company was not operating at its full potential and with adjustments department head could increase the output of the company. It was also generated from the board meeting that investors would abandon the company if we do not register I higher share value in the second first quarter. Additionally, if this scenario does not change, shareholders may opt to sell their shares at lower prices in order to avoid getting ve ry low dividends. This meant that the second quarter of this financial year would be the determinant of whether or not the company will retain its shareholders and investors. The move to start streamlining the company from the departments is the fact that some departments played a significant role in the declining in the value of the company’s shares. For instance, the procurement department contributed to a 2 cents loss per share. This loss was generated from bad inventory the department had received. The negligence of this department made the company incur expenses in replacing the bad inventory. This expense could be avoided if the department was under proper management. In my opinion, the public presentation of the earning per share should be increased in figures. However, these adjustments should be made in consideration of what the earning peer share could be if all expenses remained constant in all quarters (6). The company should also use forecasts in planning the adj ustment. However, forecasted figures developed should be accurate. The agreement should also be jointly be reached upon by the management and board members. In my opinion, the management should consider increasing the earning per share by 5 cents. In adding 5 cents on the current 47 cents per share, the value will rise to 52 cents per share. Since we are at the first quarter, 52 cents earning per share will portray a good progress among the stakeholders. This will also lead

Russian - Ukrainian relations since 1991 Essay

Russian - Ukrainian relations since 1991 - Essay Example The most significant new states resulting from the break-up of the Soviet Union are unquestionably Russia and Ukraine. Referred to as the â€Å"big two†, Russia’s population at the time of the break-up was at 150 million while Ukraine’s population was at 50 million. More importantly, Ukraine is the second largest post-Soviet state after Russia. As Ukraine seeks to establish itself as an independent nation and to forge ties with Western powers, Russia is determined to establish itself as an empire and is therefore focused on obtaining and sustaining both regional and international power. Arguably, there is an underlying ideology that fuels Russia’s drive to obtain and sustain regional and international power. From the perspective of the Russian Nationalist, Russia maintains a separate identity from the West and Ukraine provides the border between the West and Russia. Therefore, looked at from the Russian nationalist perspective, it is not possible for Ukraine to exist as a state independent of Russia. This research study argues that this is the principle theme underlying Russia’s foreign policy and is also the main source of tension in the relationship between Russia and Ukraine since 1991. In order to substantiate this argument, this paper is divided into three main parts. The first part of this paper describes the events leading up to the break-up of the Soviet Union and how those events left Russian-Ukrainian relations in 1991 at the start of the post-Soviet era. The second part of this research study analyses Russia’s foreign policy after 1991. ... ..16 B. The Orange Revolution†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...21 C. Relations During Yuschenko and Tymoshenko’s Administration..24 D. The Return of Yanukovich:the Sevastopol Deal and Energy Supplies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..29 V. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.34 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...36 I. Introduction The most significant new states resulting from the break-up of the Soviet Union are unquestionably Russia and Ukraine. Referred to as the â€Å"big two†, Russia’s population at the time of the break-up was at 150 million while Ukraine’s population was at 50 million.5 More importantly, Ukraine is the second largest post-Soviet state after Russia.6 As Ukraine seeks to establish itself as an independent nation and to forge ties with Western powers, Russia is determined to establish itself as an empire and is therefore focused on obtaining and sustaining both regional and international power.7 Arguably, there is an underlying ideology that fuels Russia’s drive to obtain and sustain regional and international power. From the perspective of the Russian Nationalist, Russia maintains a separate identity from the West and Ukraine provides the border between the West and Russia. Therefore, looked at from the Russian nationalist perspective, it is not possible for Ukraine to exist as a state independent of Russia.8 This research study argues that this is the principle theme underlying Russia ’s foreign policy and is also the main source of tension in the relationship between Russia and Ukraine since 1991. In order to substantiate this argument, this paper is divided into