Accepted Accounting Principles related to Health Care Essay - 1

Accepted Accounting Principles related to Health Care - Essay Example Inother words, it separates the business from its owners and treats it as an economic unit. Only assets, liabilities, and owners equity related to the group or organization are on one financial statement. If there are sub entities, the financial records of these entities are maintained separately. The second principle is the going - concern concept which is a presumption that the group or organization will be running in the future and will not be liquidated in the next 12 months. It is a very concept in case of healthcare business because hospitals, nursing homes, etc. which do not intend to stay in business the net realizable value of the asset may be not ascertained and could be sold at a much higher price than they worth at the moment of sale. The third principle is the matching principle which is a combination of cash accounting and accrual accounting. The matching principle and cash accounting states that revenue or expenses are recognized only when the organization receives cash or pays cash. For example, medical equipments are recognized in the books of accounts only when the cash is paid out in entirety. The problem therefore is, all transactions that are not done on a cash basis and not done in the same accounting year are not recognized which gives a deceptive picture of what actually occurred a respective accounting year. On the other hand, when accrual accounting is done this gives the actual as to what occurred in that year. An example of this is if an organization provides care for a patient but does not receive reimbursement until the following year but the funds will be documented on the year the patient was cared for. The fourth principle is known as the historical cost principle and states that the cost of a resource is what the organization pays to receive the economic need. Historical cost does not reflect the current market valuation of the asset. Therefore the problem with the cost principle for example is if a hospital pays twenty

A critical book review 5 to 8 page paper (approximately 250 words per Research

A critical book review 5 to 8 page (approximately 250 words per page) - Research Paper Example They are Western Eastern Orthodox, Latin American, Islamic, Japanese, Chinese, Hindu and African. Samuel P. Huntington, was foreign policy aide to President Clinton, in addition to being a political scientist at Harvard University. Whenever one country interferes in other nations affairs, the cultural factor surfaces predominantly. He clearly visualizes the growing momentum in this direction. He is specific when he writes, â€Å" In the post- Cold War world, flags count and so do other symbols of cultural identity; including crosses, crescents, and even head coverings, because culture counts, and cultural identity is what is most meaningful to most people. People are discovering new but often old identities and marching under new but often old flags which lead to wars with new but often old enemies.†(20) How to meet the increasing threat of violence arising from renewed conflicts between countries and cultures that rely on traditions on religious faith and dogma? Huntingtons thesis is provocative in the sense that he gives a go the the traditional views that world is bipolar or the collection of states. He classifies them as a set of seven or eight cultural â€Å"civilizations†. Conflict will arise on account of identity of civilizations. Thus he has divided the world, without the actual geographical division! Along with this startling innovative concept, he raises some vital issues. He categorically states that modernization is not tantamount to westernization; links economic progress with the revival of religion; ethnic nationalism scores over ideology in the post-war politics, according to him. The lack of leading "core states" hampers the growth of Latin America and the world of Islam. Huntingtons views on Islam are hardcore. He points out that Muslim countries are involved in many inter-group violence as compared to

Anti C1q Antibodies and Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells

Anti C1q Antibodies and Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells The complement system is one of the major effector mechanisms of the innate immune system and it plays an important role in immune defense. The biological functions of complement are opsonization and phagocytosis, stimulation of inflammatory reactions by anaphylatoxins and complement-mediated cytolysis of microbes, especially encapsulated bacteria. The complement system is formed by an enzymatic cascade composed of plasma proteins that, once stimulated, can achieve tremendous amplification and effectively fight the invading microorganisms (Abbas et al., 2009). Under certain conditions, a pathological immune reaction may develop against complement components, which on one hand reflects an underlying autoimmune process and may lead to inflammation and tissue injury on the other (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The first component of the classical pathway of complement activation, C1q, plays a crucial role in the clearance of immune complexes and apoptotic bodies from the organism. Autoantibodies against C1q (anti C1q) have been found in a number of autoimmune and infectious diseases. They have been best described in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, where they are thought to play a pathogenic role in lupus nephritis (LN). Their high negative predictive value for the occurrence of active proliferative LN, as well as their possible ability to indicate a renal flare as soon as 6 months in advance, have rendered anti C1q antibodies a novel non-invasive tool in the detection of active LN (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The Complement C1q and Its Antibodies C1q is the first component of the classical pathway of complement activation. Together with the enzymatically active components C1r and C1s, C1q forms the C1 complex. Binding of C1 to immunoglobulins in the form of immune complexes leads to activation of protease function of C1r and C1s and further activation of the classical pathway of complement (Schumaker et al., 1986). C1q is a glycoprotein belonging to the collectin family with a molecular weight of about 410-462 kDa. It is a hexamer composed of globular heads attached to collagen-like triple-helix tails (Fig. 8). The globular heads of C1q specifically bind to the constant heavy (CH2) domain of IgG molecules or the CH3 domain of IgM. Each heavy chain of the immunoglobulin molecule contains only one binding site for C1q. Since C1q must bind to at least two heavy chains in order to change its conformation and activate C1r and C1s, its activation ensues only after binding to immunoglobulins in the form of immune complexes bound to multivalent antigens (Schumaker et al., 1986). Most complement proteins are synthesized in the liver by hepatocytes. However, macrophages can synthesize early complement components of both the classical and alternative pathways and can provide sufficient local tissue complement for opsonization without recruiting plasma complement (Colten et al., 1986). C1q is unusual, for a complement protein, that it is synthesized by tissue macrophages but not hepatocytes (Loos et al., 1989). In addition to being the first component of the classical pathway of complement activation, C1q has many physiological roles. C1q can directly opsonize apoptotic cells (AC) for phagocytosis. In vitro, C1q binds to surface blebs on AC but not normal host cells (Korb and Ahearn, 1997). C1q binds to calreticulin (CRT) in AC blebs and opsonizes AC for enhanced phagocytosis through C1q interaction with CD91. C1q can opsonize AC also indirectly through complement activation (Lu et al., 2008). Consistent with this, the finding that C1q-deficient mice have been shown to have an accumulation of apoptotic bodies in the kidneys (Botto et al., 1998); and macrophages of C1q-deficient mice and humans have a decreased ability to clear apoptotic bodies in vitro (Botto, 1998; Taylor et al., 2000). In this way, C1q promotes the clearance of autoantigens, preventing stimulation of the immune system and disruption of this process may lead to development of autoimmunity (Botto, 2001). C1q-opsonized AC also regulates DC production of cytokines, but data from different studies are not entirely consistent (Lu et al., 2008). Apparently, most studies report C1q inhibition of IL-12 production from DCs and that AC stimulated macrophages produce more IL-10 and less IL-12. This suggests a tolerogenic property of C1q which is consistent to the development of autoimmunity at C1q deficiency (Botto et al., 1998). C1q has also miscellaneous roles in regulation of multiple macrophage activities, in DC differentiation, activation and antigen presentation and in granulocytes, mast cells and fibroblasts regulation (Lu et al., 2008). There are several autoantibodies to complement proteins that interfere with the physiological regulation of complement activation in vivo, and each of these has been associated with the development of SLE. These antibodies are C3 nephritic factor, anti-C1 inhibitor autoantibodies, and anti C1q antibodies. In each of these cases, there is a chicken and egg dispute, since it could be argued that development of the anticomplement autoantibody is itself part of the SLE process. However, in the case of C3 nephritic factor, which stabilizes the C3bBbC3 convertase enzyme of the alternative pathway, 8 cases of SLE have been described )Sheeran et al., 1995; Walport et al., 1994). In each of these, the onset of SLE occurred many years after the development of the main clinical phenotypes associated with the presence of C3 nephritic factor, supporting the idea that the C3 nephritic factor was the egg rather than the chicken. History and epidemiology of anti C1q antibodies: Binding of monomeric IgG to C1q was first described in 1971, in sera from patients with SLE with hypocomplementemia (Agnello et al., 1971), and in 1978, precipitation of C1q by monomeric IgG was documented in the hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome (HUVS) (Marder et al., 1978). In 1984, anti C1q antibodies were found in patients with SLE (Uwatoko et al., 1984). Since then, occurrence of anti C1q antibodies has been described with varying prevalence in patients with autoimmune and also some infectious diseases (Wisnieski and Jones, 1992). Anti C1q antibodies were mostly of the IgG subtype with IgG1 and IgG2 being the predominant subclasses (Siegert et al., 1990). The prevalence of anti C1q in the general population varies between 2% and 8% (Potlukova et al., 2008). As is the case with other autoantibodies, the occurrence of anti C1q increases with age (Ravelli et al., 1997; Siegert et al., 1993). The mere positivity for anti C1q antibodies in an otherwise healthy individual does not appear to bear any pathological or prognostic significance (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). Pathogenic role of anti C1q antibodies: Anti C1q antibodies have high negative predictive value for active lupus nephritis (LN) suggesting a pathogenic role in SLE patients. In addition, the elimination of anti C1q antibodies from circulation by repeated plasmapheresis or C1q immunoabsorption brought alleviation of the patients symptoms (Berner et al., 2001; Grimbert, et al., 2001). The binding of anti C1q antibodies to C1q is mediated via Fab fragments and in contrast to immune complexes, anti C1q antibodies do not bind to globular heads of the C1q molecule but to its collagen-like tail (Fig. 8). The binding is very weak in the liquid phase, but achieves high affinity in the case of a conformationally changed C1q in the bound state exposing new antigenic determinants. Thus, any possible pathogenic role of anti C1q antibodies probably remains confined to local deposits of C1q in tissues (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). Another intriguing mechanism of the pathogenicity of anti C1q antibodies might be a switch from non-inflammatory recognition of apoptotic bodies by C1q and its receptors to inflammatory recognition when C5a and other complement activation fragments are generated during enhanced complement activation due to anti C1q antibodies at sites where C1q is recognizing nuclear antigens (Holers, 2004). Fig. 8: A simplified scheme of the binding of anti C1q antibodies to the molecule of C1q. Anti C1q antibodies per se do not seem to activate complement; however, their binding to C1q may amplify complement activation by increasing the amount of the bound IgG in a vicious circle manner. Furthermore, they might attenuate the physiological functions of C1q, including the capacity to activate the classical pathway of complement and to clear immune complexes and apoptotic bodies. Taken together, several different mechanisms seem to be involved in the pathogenicity of anti C1q antibodies (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The presence of anti C1q antibodies in lupus is typically accompanied by a number of clinical and serological features. The complement profile is similar to that seen in HUVS, with very low levels of C1q, C4, and C2, and, to a lesser extent, C3. Anti C1q antibodies tend to remain positive in SLE for prolonged periods, and there is associated prolonged hypocomplementemia. This differs from anti-double-stranded DNA antibody levels, which tend to fluctuate in concentration, together with inverse changes in complement levels (Pickering et al., 2000). Â   Â   Anti C1q antibodies in infectious diseases Anti C1q antibodies have also been found in some infectious diseases Prohaszka et al. (1999) have found an increased occurrence of anti C1q antibodies in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus: 13% of infected patients were positive when compared with 5% controls. Furthermore, the levels of anti C1q antibodies significantly decreased during a follow-up period of 65 months. Interestingly, sera with detectable anti C1q antibodies were more likely to neutralize HIV than sera without them in in-vitro experiments. Saadoun et al. (2006) have reported an increased prevalence of anti C1q antibodies in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with 26% being positive. Contrary to expectations, the occurrence of anti C1q antibodies did not differ between HCV-infected patients with and without mixed cryoglobulinemia indicating that immune complexes do not cross-react with the anti C1q assay and proving also the abundant presence of immune complexes in the circulation does not seem to be sufficient to provoke generation of anti C1q. Further studies are needed to elucidate their role and clinical relevance in other diseases. Measurement of anti C1q antibodies In the past, radioimmunoassay based on the binding of immune complexes to C1q fixed to a solid phase was mainly used to determine the concentration of immune complexes (Hay et al., 1976). Later, the solid-phase C1q binding assay was modified into an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For this purpose, either whole C1q or the collagen-like region of C1q was employed. However, the use of individually prepared ELISA kits with differently set cut-off limits for positivity led to a rather large disparity between the results of clinical studies. Nowadays, measurement of anti C1q antibodies in serum has become easier; thanks to commercially available and standardized ELISA kits using the whole C1q molecule as antigen (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The main pitfall in the measurement of anti C1q antibodies consists in a possible binding of circulating immune complexes to the solid-phase bound whole C1q. However, it has been shown that the use of high ionic strength conditions in the incubation media inhibits any similar unwelcome binding and it renders the ELISA reliable for clinical use (Kohro-Kawata et al., 2002).

Pearl Harbor Essay -- essays research papers

Richard Collier wrote The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 to talk about how the actions of individuals and governments brought the United States into World War II, as a result of the Pearl Harbor massacre caused by the Japanese. The book starts out a dinner that Winston Churchill is hosting in order to recruit the support of the United States during the war. Winston Churchill is pleased to find out that he will have access to all sorts of American war materials, thanks to the lend-lease policy, which many saw as a slick business deal for the United States. The United States gained many assets in return for war materials not worth nearly as much. One German who made a huge difference in the book was Rudolf Hess, a personal friend of Hitler’s who took it upon himself to fly an unarmed plane into Britain to try and negotiate a peace talk in order to keep Germany from having to fight a two front war following the execution of Operation Barbarossa, the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union. The British did not know what to make of Hess, and treated him as a prisoner of war, leaving him mentally unstable and in no condition to negotiate a peace between Germany and Britain. Hitler was outraged when he found out about Hess’s mission, and played it off like Hess was the victim of hallucinations. Hitler did this because he did not really want peace with Britain and was desperate to keep up the morale of his troops getting ready to invade the Soviet Union. Hitler was also worried that Hess would be given a truth serum and reveal the plan to invade the Soviet Union to Winston Churchill. Another interesting man from Germany was called the â€Å"Desert Fox.† Erwin Rommel earned his nickname by using new tactics to defeat the British in Africa despite being outnumbered for the most part. Rommel would make it look like he had more forces than he did by putting wooden turrets on top of BMWs and placing them next to real artillery during battles, influencing the British’s decision to retreat. The turning point in both the war and the book come when the Japanese decide to invade Pearl Harbor early in the morning of December 7, 1941. Collier goes on to talk about how the Japanese got ready for the invasion by eating a traditional breakfast, wearing red shirt... ...e Collier is basically just telling the stories of people who did something important during World War II before the tragedy at Pearl Harbor. These events are all correct historically and that makes the book a little easier to read. Before reading this book I did not know who people like Erwin Rommel and Rudolf Hess were. It is different to see World War II from a view other than that of an American. Richard Collier was born in London and was a member of the Royal Air Force from 1942 until 1946. This gives him more credibility than someone who just does a bunch of research and throws it together for a book. Collier did research, citing hundreds of sources, but he also had his own personal experiences to fall back on, and that is not something that a lot of teachers and authors can say. I would not recommend this book to other people unless they are interested in history and war. If you are interested in history and war, especially World War II, then The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 is a good book for you. The book covers so much material that teachers could not possibly begin to cover that it is a must-read for history buffs. "The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 by Richard Collier Pearl Harbor Essay -- essays research papers Richard Collier wrote The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 to talk about how the actions of individuals and governments brought the United States into World War II, as a result of the Pearl Harbor massacre caused by the Japanese. The book starts out a dinner that Winston Churchill is hosting in order to recruit the support of the United States during the war. Winston Churchill is pleased to find out that he will have access to all sorts of American war materials, thanks to the lend-lease policy, which many saw as a slick business deal for the United States. The United States gained many assets in return for war materials not worth nearly as much. One German who made a huge difference in the book was Rudolf Hess, a personal friend of Hitler’s who took it upon himself to fly an unarmed plane into Britain to try and negotiate a peace talk in order to keep Germany from having to fight a two front war following the execution of Operation Barbarossa, the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union. The British did not know what to make of Hess, and treated him as a prisoner of war, leaving him mentally unstable and in no condition to negotiate a peace between Germany and Britain. Hitler was outraged when he found out about Hess’s mission, and played it off like Hess was the victim of hallucinations. Hitler did this because he did not really want peace with Britain and was desperate to keep up the morale of his troops getting ready to invade the Soviet Union. Hitler was also worried that Hess would be given a truth serum and reveal the plan to invade the Soviet Union to Winston Churchill. Another interesting man from Germany was called the â€Å"Desert Fox.† Erwin Rommel earned his nickname by using new tactics to defeat the British in Africa despite being outnumbered for the most part. Rommel would make it look like he had more forces than he did by putting wooden turrets on top of BMWs and placing them next to real artillery during battles, influencing the British’s decision to retreat. The turning point in both the war and the book come when the Japanese decide to invade Pearl Harbor early in the morning of December 7, 1941. Collier goes on to talk about how the Japanese got ready for the invasion by eating a traditional breakfast, wearing red shirt... ...e Collier is basically just telling the stories of people who did something important during World War II before the tragedy at Pearl Harbor. These events are all correct historically and that makes the book a little easier to read. Before reading this book I did not know who people like Erwin Rommel and Rudolf Hess were. It is different to see World War II from a view other than that of an American. Richard Collier was born in London and was a member of the Royal Air Force from 1942 until 1946. This gives him more credibility than someone who just does a bunch of research and throws it together for a book. Collier did research, citing hundreds of sources, but he also had his own personal experiences to fall back on, and that is not something that a lot of teachers and authors can say. I would not recommend this book to other people unless they are interested in history and war. If you are interested in history and war, especially World War II, then The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 is a good book for you. The book covers so much material that teachers could not possibly begin to cover that it is a must-read for history buffs. "The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 by Richard Collier

Air Transport Industry

Air transport is one of the integral parts of the tourism industry that has largely contributed positively to the global tourism industry. The advancement in air transport industry coupled with improvement in communication and information technology over the decades has seen the quality of the air travel improve in standard and reduction in the cost of air tickets hence increase in traffic of tourists frequenting destinations that were otherwise deemed inaccessible or too expensive. The great strides were taken in ensuring the safety of air transport, reducing the cost to make air travels accessible to a bigger audience and increased ports have seen the tourism industry flourish enormously (Duval, 2013). Although other forms of transport supplement air transport, particular tourist destinations are wholly dependent on air transport. This explains how essential air transport is to the tourism industry. This paper seeks to address the correlation between the tourism industry and transport industry and in particular air transport and analyze its range of influence on the tourism industry as well as its economic impact. Air transport is a crucial segment of the extensive travel and tourism sector. According to world statistics, about 75 percent of the world international tourists use air transport. In some tourist destinations, air transport is the only means of transport (Duval, 2013). These increasing statistics of more tourists is due to law of better taxes that are considerate. Cost of air transport deeply influences the tourist`s choice of the destination as well as other tourism products. However, the improved technology by which larger aircraft have been developed that can carry a large number of passengers hence reducing the cost of an individual ticket. Additionally, the ability to cover long distances within a short timeline has made air transport stand out as the ideal method of transport preferred by a bigger percentage of tourist globally. Accessibility of the tourist destination is one of the factors that influence the development of tourism in any particular place. A region may have spectacular landscapes that would rake in tons of dollars earned from tourism, but if it is inaccessible, then it may never be of any help. However, thanks to the advancement in air transport, places that were previously considered inaccessible are now reachable. For instance, the Kalahari Desert in Africa is now a hub of tourist destination. Travels around the globe are now measured regarding hours not as previously, which was regarding days of months. The efficient network of air travels the most convenient. This has seen a sharp increase in some tourist arrivals in every single part of the world. For instance, according to the Panama central statistics office, an analysist of tourist arrival in 2007 was 79,223, which was an increase from the 2006 figure, which was 769,897. This was a growth rate of about 3.7 percent. This growth was due to the increase in some aircraft as well as plane seat capacity. The economic impacts as a result of an increase in tourist in-flow due to improved air transport are numerous. For instance, government benefits from the contribution to the government revenues generated by taxes imposed tourism- related businesses such as the hotels, employee`s taxes, tax on goods and services offered to the tourists and departure taxes. Apart from the government, private investors owning the hotels, small aircrafts used to transport tourists locally benefits a lot. There is also a range of jobs created directly from the tourism industry such as drivers, cooks, restaurants, souvenir shops as well as nightclub operates (Graham, 2013). There are also pilots who operate the planes transporting the tourists. The benefits accrued to increased tourism activities as a result of improved airline transport are numerous. According to a study conducted by the World Tourism Organization, the estimate of tax contribution imposed directly or indirectly on travel and tourism; related activities worldwide amounted to US$ 850 billion in 2001 a figure expected to triple by 2020. The statistic indicates how a well-organized and customer friendly system of transport can be of importance as far as economic development is concerned. These funds are channeled in different government projects such as infrastructure, which benefits the general public hence improving their condition of living. Air transport has helped the tourism industry to spread worldwide. The economic benefits gained from improved air transport about the tourism industry are many. The government has benefitted by earning taxes that are used to fund sustainable development projects such as roads construction while many business people and individuals have benefited from the tourism industry as either employees or owners of the facilities used by the tourism. Improving air transport even further will make it even further will make it even cheaper hence more affordable to a bigger population, this will mean a definite increase in the tourism industry since there will be more tourist who is able and willing to visit many tourist destination sites around the globe and more often hence increased revenue to the various related to sectors (Graham, 2013). Harnessing this revenue properly can mean improving the gross domestic revenues of host countries around the world hence improving their economy (Buckley, 2012). Also, air transport will improve global tourism industry by opening up remote places that were previously less known to the world. This means due to the easy of transport; more tourist will be able to frequent these destination hence indirectly improving the economic statues of these remote places. Most world tourist destinations depend almost completely on air travel services for the transportation of tourists. This means air services are a necessary component in the success of global tourism industry. The economic impacts resulting from increased tourism activities due to air services benefit both the government and individual contained in the tourism industry. Improved air service is the only way that the only way that the global tourism industry can thrive. This is already evidenced by the emergence of airbuses and low-cost carriers, which are quite affordable enabling even a more significant number of tourists to visit different destinations of their choice and more often. ReferencesBuckley, R. (2012). Sustainable tourism: Research and reality. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 528-546.Duval, D. T. (2013). Critical issues in air transport and tourism. Tourism Geographies, 15(3), 494-510.Graham, A. (2013). Managing Airports 4th edition: An international perspective. Routledge

Post Conflict Reconstruction and the Resurgence of Supposedly Resolved Territorial Conflicts Essay

Beyond the rhetoric of traditional causes of conflicts which intermittently are also at the root cause of African territorial civil conflicts, this paper examines the question as to why conflict resurges in states where conflict has previously been resolved. From the perspective of two major theoretical frameworks in International Relations: Liberalism and Realism, this paper argues that mechanisms for conflict resolution are often short-termed and often not home-groomed to accommodate the needs of citizens emanating from a civil war. Liberals argue that this is primarily a failure of cooperation between external and internal actors or stakeholders in the peace process. To them, this lack of cooperation generates economic problems and inhibits mistrust which is the embryo for conflict resurgence. In contrast conflict resolution fails primarily as a result of factors emphasized by Realism. The conflict may not have been ripe for resolution because the practical meaning of recognition revealed large gaps between the ways that the parties defined their core interests. Against this background and given the depth of antagonism between the DRC government and MONUC on the one hand and rebel movements on the other, economic wealth of the Congo has failed to generate support for the peace process. Instead, it increased friction and placed additional political obstacles in the way of compromise. The paper also examines the potency of peacekeeping as a vehicle for conflict resolution. It argues that the design and conceptualization of peacekeeping albeit structural challenges like inadequate resources, ill-equipped personnel and lack of a clearly defined and sustainable vision are at the bedrock of cyclical conflicts. In examining the role of MONUC and other interveners in the Congolese peace process, the paper engages a conceptual thesis which seeks to clarify the difference between peacekeeping as a mediator, meddler and interventionist in African civil conflicts. This clarification will inform conceptual thinking on the potency of peacekeeping as a vehicle for the resolution of civil conflicts. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one demonstration of the fragile nature of post conflict reconstruction and speaks to the need to step-up conflict prevention strategies to meet current challenges which have given rise to new trajectories to territorial conflicts in Africa. Despite deploying a Peace Mission to the Congo (ONUC)[1] in the 1960s, and despite currently harboring the largest and highest funded United Nations Peace Operation (MONUC);[2] the United Nations (UN) is still finding it difficult to bring an end to the territorial conflict in what is regarded as the site for the world’s worst humanitarian conflict. The conflict, therefore, seems to protract with each renewed effort to resolve it. Following field visits, extensive reading on the Congo and interviews with conflict analysts and residents of the DRC, this paper assesses the viability of peacekeeping as a measure for preventing the resurgence of new territorial conflict. While most interviewed are of the view that the challenges of the DRC peace process are enormous and complex, this paper interrogates the role of MONUC as a conflict prevention mechanism, and its effectiveness in sustainable peacebuilding in the Great Lakes region. The paper enriches conceptual thinking with the view that peacekeeping as a form of external intervention has the capacity to support fragile states in their peace building process, and to check prospective territorial conflicts if certain requirements are met. Preliminary investigations indicate that, contrary to previous research which posited political, natural resource and cultural underpinnings as causes of the current DRC conflict, the lack of a clearly defined plan to stop hostilities in the East can largely be accountable for the cyclical violence. Contrary to expectation that following the 2006 DRC election, the fragile Congolese state had attained sovereign maturity to govern itself with limited external support, this paper posits the need for dedicated and timely funding to a new mediator who will engage a five-phased peacebuilding process which will re-orientate existent theoretical and pragmatic processes of conflict prevention, and define succinctly, through policy recommendations, a new direction for the prevention of territorial conflicts. Following this introduction, the next section will explore the causes of territorial conflicts in Africa and elsewhere. This section engages a brief differentiation between causes of conflicts and causes of conflict resurgence with the view of demonstrating that if one cannot prima facie understand the causes of conflict, its resolution attempts will be flawed and such attempts will serve as the corner stone on which prospective conflicts will be erected. Section two will engage a theoretical overview of causes of conflict resurgence. This section will examine causes of conflict resurgence as propounded by two main schools of thought of International Relations: Realism and Liberalism. Following this, tools of conflict resolution will reviewed with principal focus on peacekeeping. The Section will trickle down to a case specific analysis of whether peacekeeping as a tool for conflict resolution is a byproduct of intervention or mediation, and whether in the exercise of their craft, peacekeepers qualify to be called mediators or would be considered meddlers. This section argues that, between 1999 to 2006 when the first democratic election in the Congo was organized, MONUC could well be considered as a mediator, but following that period, MONUC till date (July 2006 to 2010) she is a meddler in the peace process which is largely driven by the rapprochement that was reached between the DRC and Uganda on the one hand, and the DRC and Rwanda on the other. Causes of territorial Conflicts in Africa There are contending theories as to the causes of territorial conflicts. Conflicts seem to have a litany of literature compared to other subsidiary topics of International Affairs and African studies. Scholars have thus far not been able to see the divide between causes of territorial conflicts and conflicts which ensue from the impotency of mechanisms tailored to resolve them. As a result, there is no dearth of literature on the causes of conflicts but one hardly finds any one who has contended that an ineffective resolution strategy could spark new trajectories to conflict. Existing literature on causes of conflict is sometimes limited in scope to address on causes in particular. Adekeye Adebajo has articulated political and cultural underpinnings to be responsible for conflicts. 3] This could hold true for the Sierra Leone conflict but in the face of global adversities, his speculations stand to be criticized because other conflicts like the Rwandan genocide emanate from imbalances in the distribution of economic, political and social resources. Moreover, the ongoing Sudanese conflicts have religious/and or ethnic undertones with no element of cultural or political formulations which equally go along way to excavate the lacunae in Adekeye’s speculations. Paul Collier holds the view that conflicts are fuelled by economic considerations. He posits that most rebel organizations cling onto the idea of grievances in order to elicit more public support for their cause. In his hypothesis, he contemplates that a state with superfluous resources, increasing working-age population, and high unemployment rate is most likely to harbor conflict. His hypothesis, though true for many conflicts that have plagued Africa does not explain other cases in Africa. For instance, former British trusteeship of Cameroon fondly known as Anglophone Cameroon has been wailing for a fair share of economic, political, social and natural resources of the country. Despite this, discontentment has not resulted to war or any from of concrete violence as has occurred in other countries. This phenomenon consequently makes Collier’s assertions fluid. Summarily, Collier, Eboe Hutchful and Kwesi Aning argue that there are countries that have experienced conflict where natural resources were not articulated as the source of the conflict. They cited the examples of Chad and Ethiopia. [5] They acknowledged that some conflicts have been fueled by purely non-resource driven motives resulted. This is true with the cases of Angola, Afghanistan and Sudan. They, however, conceded to the fact that in the conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) resources were one of the stimulants among other elements. They tried to strike a balance by postulating that the end of the Cold War culminated in the proliferation of arms, and ineffective post conflict demilitarization, demobilization, and reintegration of ex-combatants which culminated in an outburst of wary and distressed combatants resulting several coup d’etat putsch attempts. While one may agree with the grievance theory, the million dollar question is what are people aggrieved about as to resort to conflicts, destruction of property, murder and assassinations? Is it about Governance? Is it distribution of resources? The answer is definitely far from the propositions of the aforementioned scholars. Because some countries have resource crisis and mismanagement, repressive regimes, and poor governance, but know no conflict. This therefore suggests that there is yet an unknown cause of conflict, and this cause is probably one that cuts across all conflicts. The present paper contemplates that inefficacies in the mechanisms for resolving these conflicts could be the brain-child behind the cyclical resurgence of conflicts in states previously hit by territorial civil wars. William Reno on his part contends that internal warfare is motivated by economic considerations especially with regard to the intensification of transitional commerce. He argues that there is a relationship between corruption and politics. According to Reno, conflict is bound to rise where a ruler makes life uncomfortable for his citizens by encouraging the search of his espionage as a means of escaping from squalid conditions. Reno in his postulations contemplates that the absence of good governance engenders politics as a cause of conflict. [8] William Zartman on his part contemplates that the increase in conflict is orchestrated by the collapse of state structure. [9] While one may agree with the collapse of state theory, the lotto question is: What drives the leaders to run the state aground? Keith Somerville, in his view tries to locate the source of conflict within the geopolitical map of Africa, which was bequeathed to it by the colonial powers. He contends that the colonial boundaries and state lines have led to the potpourri of people who hitherto had never before mixed as a group. [10] This articulation is paradoxical. While it means that even if the boundaries that existed in the pre-colonial time were maintained, there could still exist though at different levels, and with different target. [11] The diverse schools of thought examined above have attempted an investigation into the causes of conflict. They have posited economic underpinnings, lack of good governance, and disintegration of state institutions, religious and ethnic differences, corruption and colonial imprints. The opinions are not quite erroneous but fail to see ultimately that conflicts emanate because the global village appears to be in consonance with the fact that peacekeeping is the first port of resort for conflict resolution. Moreover, the fact that the problems postulated by the above authors have engendered conflicts in some areas and not in some despite the presence of similar factors suggest that there is more to conflict than has been articulated by contemporary research on the subject matter. The present paper contemplates that inefficacies in the dispute resolution machinery incubate further conflicts. This paper contemplates that if peacekeeping tools are tailored to empower stakeholders to a peace process, conflicts will be resolved before they escalate. On the contrast between causes of conflicts and causes of conflict resurgence, it should be noted that if conflicts are not prima facie mastered, it will be difficult to seamstress right solutions to them. As a result conflicts tend to hatch new and probably even more complicated dimensions to it.