Pros and Cons of International Medical Schools

Pros and Cons of International Medical Schools Student Resources Print Deciding to Attend an International Medical School By Andrea Clement Santiago facebook twitter linkedin Andrea Clement Santiago is a medical staffing expert and communications executive. Shes a writer with a background in healthcare recruiting. Learn about our editorial policy Andrea Clement Santiago Updated on January 02, 2020 Cultura Science / Matt Lincoln / Riser / Getty Images More in Student Resources APA Style and Writing Study Guides and Tips Careers When its time to choose a medical school, the process and options can be overwhelming, from selecting the right program, applying, and interviewing to managing loans and passing board exams. It can be expensive, time-consuming, not to mention the competitive process, but there are ways to navigate the system. International medical schoolsâ€"such as Ross University in Barbados and other accredited schools in the Caribbean, as well as Mexico, Asia, and Australiaâ€"offer a way to pursue your passion for medicine without having to wait for spots in domestic schools to open. In fact, one quarter of physicians in the U.S. have graduated from international medical schools. Going to a medical school abroad may sound appealing, but there are pros and cons any candidate must consider.  Heres a look at the opportunities and potential obstacles. Pros of International Medical Schools Less restrictive requirements, lower tuition costs, and possible U.S. residency opportunities are all favorable aspects of applying to foreign medical schools, particularly in the Caribbean. Consider these factors when figuring out if medical school abroad is the right fit for you. Higher acceptance rates: Many medical schools in the Caribbean accept a much higher percentage of applicants than schools in the U.S. in part due to less restrictive entrance requirements.  For schools outside the Caribbean, acceptance rates vary.Broader entrance requirements: GPAs and MCAT scores are typically lower than average among international medical school applicants, making these programs a realistic option to consider for those with lower scores.Less expensive than domestic counterparts: Tuition for international schools is usually cheaper than medical schools in America, which can lessen the burden of student loans and financial stress that many medical students face.U.S. clinical rotation opportunities: In many of the Caribbean schools, the first two years of basic science is done on their campuses overseas, while clinical rotations are done in U.S. hospitals. Though your home school is still overseas, you have the advantage of the same clinical exposure and opportunities as the hospitals home medical students. Many past students cite this as an advantage in applying to U.S. residencies. Other overseas medical schools allow students U.S. clinical rotation opportunities, though usually on a more case-by-case basis. Cons of International Medical Schools While the early stages of going to medical school abroadâ€"like applications and tuition feesâ€"may be favorable, there are differences and potential challenges, particularly after youve graduated. Grading systems: While many U.S. medical schools use an Honors/Pass/Fail grading system, many medical schools overseas use a traditional Aâ€"F system. You might feel that such precise grading systems can add additional stress to an already competitive atmosphere and post-graduate job market and industry.New environment: This can be either a pro or a con, depending on your perspective. Keep in mind that politics, social norms, and weather usually differ, too.Match challenges with U.S. residency: Though many international medical graduates successfully match into residency programs across the U.S., they do so at significantly lower rates than their U.S. graduate counterparts: approximately 48% of international graduates compared to 94% of U.S. graduates. Many schools in the Caribbean, however, state that a significant percentage of their graduates find positions outside the match.Additional certifications: After graduating from an international medical school, youll be required to take an additional exam, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), that isnt required for domestic graduates. Additionally, each time you apply for a state license or any certification, the process may be slower, since the documentation must be obtained from overseas.Less favorable perception: Patients and employers typically have a less positive opinion of  international medical schools.  Some employers prefer to hire doctors who have graduated from a U.S.  medical school. A Word From Verywell Your choice of medical school can impact your future career prospects, so if youre considering applying to an international medical school, these pros and cons could help make your decision a little easier. Keep in mind that there are other avenues to practice medicine as well. For example, if youre interested in primary care and want to stay and practice in the U.S., you might consider applying to an osteopathic medical program. Whatever you decide, its important to research your options carefully so your path is fulfilling, tailored to your goals and capabilities, and falls within your budget.

Hard Times Essay - 1665 Words

Literary works often portray or allude to the society in which they are written. Characters take upon social statuses, and whose positions and characterizations are determined by those statuses. Social statuses, in any context, are hard to change. It is the American Dream to move from a lower class to the upper class, and the American Dream is hard to obtain, although easy to wish for. These social classes provide easy identification of characters, but also prove to be barriers within the society. The construct of social classes in Hard Times by Charles Dickens provides context for the inability to easily change classes within a structured society. Each character provides detail into the description of their social classes, and also†¦show more content†¦Despite these studies, the â€Å"hands† were still just â€Å"hands.† They were able to master things that were common of the middle class, but yet had rose no more than the laborers they were despite these teac hings. Where they were born, and from what tier of society they were from mattered more than their learning. The look of their houses, which were â€Å"stunted and crooked shapes† gave way to the â€Å"kind of people who might be expected to be born in [them]† (Dickens 70). There is a reason why the general population of Coketown were considered â€Å"Hands,† â€Å"they were a part of the anatomy that has the facility for work,† (Sutherland, Para. 26) but they were not able to move from one place to the next in society. It was as if they should have been made by God to have â€Å"only hands, or like the lower creatures of the seashore, only hands and stomachs† (Dickens 70). The â€Å"Hands† are described often as kind, gentle, and caring. They are friendly to each other. Rachael, who had saved the life of the woman standing in her way of marrying her beloved, and Stephen, who stays true to his drunken wife are examples of the â€Å"perfect integrity† (Dickens 71) that is common in the lower class. Bounderby, â€Å"whose name represents his approach to life; he uses others for personal gain† (Bracket, Para. 3) is contrasted with the loving approach of the â€Å"Hands.† Bounderby hadShow MoreRelatedDickens Hard Times1535 Words   |  7 PagesDickens’ Hard Times â€Å"Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.† (Dickens, 1854, p.1) With these beginning sentences of the novel â€Å"Hard Times†, Charles Dickens has made readers doubt whether it is true that facts alone are wanted in life. This question leads to the main theme of the story, fact against fancy, that author has never been written this kind of plot in his other stories before. In fact, Hard Times is considered as theRead MoreHard Times Bounderby800 Words   |  4 PagesJosiah Bounderby falsely claims his success in life was a result of his hard work and never receiving help from anyone in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times. Claiming to be a self-made man grants Mr. Bounderby wide admiration in Coketown, with the exception of Tom and Louisa Gradgrind and Mrs. Sparsit, who perceive him to be an insolent person. Tom mirrors   Mr. Bounderby’s selfish and hypocritical personality, but blames the old man for his rigid upbringing. Louisa cannot admire Mr. Bounderby while he shamelesslyRead MoreIntroduction to Hard Times2041 Words   |  9 PagesThe shortest of Dickens novels, Hard Times, was also, until quite recently, the least regarded of them. The comedy is savagely and scornfully sardonic, to the virtual exclusion of the humour - that delighted apprehension of and rejoicing in idiosyncrasy and absurdity for their own sakes, which often cuts right across moral considerations and which we normally take for granted in Dickens. Then, too, the novel is curiously skeletal. There are four separate plots, or at least four separate centresRead MoreCharles Dickens Hard Times For These Times1074 Words   |  5 Pagesthe course without straying from it. If you do, you are considered broken. Yet, what exactly is the point of mindlessly walking the same path as everyone else, only to constantly find yourself memorizing empty facts over and over again? In Hard Times for these Times, Charles Dickens embodies the consequences of an absolutely factual world: blindness, imbalance, and nonfulfillment. Through the convoluted storie s of the opposite worlds, Sissy’s journey to becoming a jewel of balance, Louisa’s tragic fightRead MoreCharles Dickens Hard Times971 Words   |  4 PagesIn Hard Times, Dickens presents life philosophies of three men that directly contradict each other. James Harthouse sees one’s actions in life as meaningless since life is so short. Mr. Gradgrind emphasizes the importance of fact and discourages fantasy since life is exactly as it was designed to be. Mr. Slearly exhibits that â€Å"all work and no play† will make very dull people out of all of us. He also proclaims that one should never look back on one’s life and regret past actions. Dickens is certainlyRead MoreCharles Dickens Hard Times1494 Words   |  6 Pages May 1, 2015 Mr. Johnson Literature Dickens Calls for Desperate Measures in Hard Times â€Å"I want to change the world.† How many times is that line heard from small children, aspiring to be someone who achieves their maximum potential? If a child is asked how they might go about doing so they might respond with an answer that involves a superhero or princess who helps people for the greater good. As one grows and adapts to their surrounding society, the art of seeing the big picture includingRead MorePresentation of Conflict in Hard Times1343 Words   |  6 PagesDiscuss the presentation of confict in the texts that you have studied In â€Å"Hard Times† by Charles Dickens, conflict is presented as the outcome of industrialisation, material prosperity and a strict utilitarian way of life. In the 1850’s when the novel was written in instalments in ‘Household Words’, Victorian England was in the age of reform, which was creating new tensions between social classes, and creating a new type of ‘master’ represented by characters such as Mr. Gradgrind and more particularlyRead MoreHard Times By Charles Dickens1502 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel, Hard Times by Charles Dickens, concentrates on the Gradgrind family; of Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, his daughter Louisa, and son Thomas Jr. A major theme of friendship is portrayed in the books through the character of Mr. Gradgrind as he struggles with the idea of friendship between other characters. According to the Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle, it explains a detailed account of friendship and what it is to be a friend to others. In compari ng the character Mr. Gradgrind in Hard Times, to theRead MoreUse of Exaggeration in Hard Times1545 Words   |  7 PagesDickens has cleverly used exaggeration in Hard Times, in the form of caricature and farce to criticize the theory of utilitarianism; the popular way of living in the Victorian age. Utilitarianism comes under the theory of consequentialism which dictates that one should always judge an action from its consequences, and follow the course which benefits the majority. By exaggerating his characters he essentially uses them to represent varying views on utilitarianism; ie; what it implies not only asRead MoreDickens Symbolism in Hard Times4703 Words   |  19 PagesHard Times Symbolism, Imagery Allegory Sometimes, there’s more to Lit than meets the eye. Fairy Palaces and Elephants (a.k.a. Factories and the Machinery inside them) This one is from the narrator and runs throughout the novel: the idea that the ugly, square, fact-based, oppressive mills look like fairy palaces with elephants in them when they are lit up at night. The image first pops up as something a person riding by Coketown in a fast-moving train might say – in other words, someone who

The Revolutionary Armed Forces Of Colombia - 1686 Words

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, otherwise known as FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) was originally established in 1964 from a fractioned group of the Columbian Communist Party. It was formed during a war between the political parties that consisted of liberals and conservatives. After the Violence aka La Violencia which left around 200,000 people dead over a 15 year span many peasants fled their homes including one Manuel Marulanda Velez real name Pedro Antonio Marin (Molano, A., 2000). He was part of the liberals but joined the communist party after they had started forming militia groups known as self-defense units. Manuel Marulanda Velez was attracted to this†¦show more content†¦Literary estimates show that FARC was responsible for the trade of nearly $2 million per day in drug trafficking. Money and political strength were near the heart of the groups’ daily functions. The finance of terrorism is also where the vulnerability in their maintenance lives. As described by Roberge (2013), â€Å"Financing terro rism’s main conclusion, which is more implicit than explicit, is that while combating terrorism financing is important to diminishing a terrorist group’s capacity to inflict harm, it is only one instrument among many with which to target organizations† (p.407). Through land rights, political participation, or economic reform, Columbia would work diligently to bring an end to a battle in 2014. Negotiations for peace began in 2012. It was believed that FARC was responsible for the kidnapping of a Columbian senator from his aircraft followed by a mortar attack on the Presidential Palace 6 months later. FARC had been labeled as the oldest, largest, most capable and best equipped insurgency group. Fears mounted that, without peace negotiations, civilian casualties would outweigh any attempts at casual negotiation. Unilateral cease fires were unsuccessful. The only means of Columbian efforts was to being attacks that would challenge and eliminate monetary power and members within authoritarian roles. Efforts were quickly noted. As described by Kan (2014), â€Å"Treasury

Advertising to Lgbt Community Free Essays

Advertising to LGBT community: Producing ads that cater to gay audience is complex, and neither the pro- nor the anti-gay market view appears to be adequately addressing the issues. The problem seems to be that both demand that advertisements show life not â€Å"it should be† rather than how â€Å"it is†. We have observed in various case studies that we have followed in our course of ‘Integrated Marketing Communication’ that advertisers mostly tend to show lives a shade brighter than it really is, especially in those campaigns where we are trying to sell products by making the consumer feel good about themselves. We will write a custom essay sample on Advertising to Lgbt Community or any similar topic only for you Order Now This approach however leads to the LGBT invisibility and homophobic representations. Even when the LGBT people are identified as target segment or forming some part of the target segment, stereotype creeps into the picture. In the next segment, we talk about stereotype in marketplace. The Stereotype in marketplace Stereotype haunts LGBT people not only in streets but also in media and in marketplace. In marketplace, stereotyping may not be because of a bias or a preconceived notion about the community. It can be because of incomplete information – a bane for any marketer. For instance, we have already discussed that collecting gay and lesbian demographic data is way too difficult. Although law is more favorable and dare we say accepting to the community, cultural issues still hinder people to come all out about their ‘unconventional’ sexual and gender orientations. Now this difficulty in gathering data has consequences, such as that people of modest income and poorer people are ignored as part of the gay market. They are hence absent from gay images in marketing, as they usually are in mainstream ads. Economic stereotype An ideal gay consumer would usually be stereotyped as affluent, educated, and childless. This apparently contrasts with better representative observations of gay, lesbian, and bisexual consumers. As the famous economics professor Lee Badgett in his paper â€Å"Income Inflation: The Myth of Affluence among Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Americans,† notes: â€Å"Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people do not earn more than heterosexual people; gay, lesbian, and bisexual people do not live in more affluent households than heterosexual eople; two studies show that gay men earn less than similarly qualified heterosexual men. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people are found throughout the spectrum of income distribution: some are poor, a few are rich, and most are somewhere in the middle, along with most heterosexual people. † As it is widely observable fact that on an average, women get paid lesser than men in similar jobs in most part of the world, a female homosexual household would obviously be poorer than their male counterpart or a heterosexual household. Also, female homosexual couple is more likely to have children than a male homosexual household and so on. Behavioral stereotype: In media gay men are often portrayed as sissies, gaudy flamers, intimidating, always on the prowl and/or pedophilic sexual predators. Similarly lesbians are depicted mostly as misandrist feminists and (worst of all) as an object of heterosexual men’s feminine fantasies. Challenge to advertisers Big task of advertisers here, would be to distance themselves from these preconceived imagery and to produce a gay image of relevance yet recognizable. How to cite Advertising to Lgbt Community, Essay examples

Nationalism In German Music During The Early Romantic Period Essays

Nationalism In German Music During The Early Romantic Period Until the nineteenth century, music was generally regarded as an international language. Folk music had always been in place and linked directly with particular regions. On a larger scale though, European music was a device for expression through the application of Italian techniques and styles. In other words, its technical vocabulary was Italian, and from the time of the early baroque, European music, in general, had evolved its styles and technical devices from the developments of Italian composers. Furthermore, court opera was nearly always performed in Italian, whether in Dresden or in London, no matter who composed it or where it was performed. For example, in 1855, Queen Victoria suggested to Richard Wagner that he translate his opera Tannhauser into Italian so that it could secure a production in London. Thus, European music, regardless of where it was composed could be (and was) performed throughout Europe and understood through the common Italian commands, descriptions, and styles. It was unacceptable for most to compose in any other way. The international idea began to collapse in the early nineteenth century as embattled nations or nations subjugated by a foreign invader began to think of music as an expression of their own national identity, personality, or as a way of voicing national aspirations. In Germany, the ideas of nationalism were prevented from finding an outlet in the world of political ideology and instead found outlets in music. This started in a very subtle manor. Take for example the increasing use, by Beethoven, of the German language in his instructions in his music. In his Adieux Sonata (op. 81a), Beethoven's farewell to the Archduke Rudolph, the master progressively uses increasing amounts of German in his instructions and by the third movement, little Italian at all. Sonatas written a few years later are designated for the Hammerklavier and not for the pianoforte, Italian for piano. Such subtle changes in traditional composition direction foreshadowed ever-increasing tendencies toward German nationalistic ideas in music. As Henry Raynor puts it, the Napoleonic invasions which turned Beethoven from a simple revolutionary into a patriotic Austrian revolutionary seem to have made him feel that his own language was a perfectly satisfactory way of telling pianist s how he wanted his music played. These early feelings of nationalism, if not just for Beethoven, stemmed from the years of unity under the auspices of Napoleon's Empire, which gave a considerable portion of central Europe reason to realize their collective similarities. This large area shared a common language and historical legacy. Traditions were similar as were aspirations. Indeed, ?the complex that was to become the German Empire presented a more or less homogeneous state, united by language and culture but forced by political organization into political disunity? Nonetheless, the idea of German unity had surfaced years earlier, long before the revolutionary borders of Central Europe were rationalized by Napoleon and before Beethoven's use of German vocabulary for instruction in his music. The prominent German Enlightenment thinkers Johann Gottfried Herder and Johann Gottlieb Fichte had espoused that nationalism in Germany was found in the unity of culture and not in the political situation of the region. Herder though that if the German-speaking world obtained a unity of culture and education, political unity would follow. More importantly, it was the personality of the German people or Volk and their awareness of a common culture that would create the less vital political unity. Herder was concerned with the cultural character exclusively in his nationalism. Also, his brand of philosophical nationalism was applicable to others, and not exclusively Germans. Somewhat conversely, Fichte believed that a nation was not merely the combination of p eople and a certain geographical area but was a spiritual unity created through shared culture and aspirations, a result of religious, social, economic, and political pressures. Fichte was twenty years younger than Herder and promoted a more intense brand of German nationalism that surfaced later in the nineteenth century. Of great importance though, Fichte, unlike Herder, attributed to the Germans an originality and a genius not possessed by other peoples. Conversely altogether is the thinking of Hegel. His viewpoint was that the state, its policies, and the order it enforces were

Free Essays on Different Views, Different Responses

Different Views, Different Responses A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble. Mohandas Gandhi The Dalai Lama feels sadness caused by the things that are brought onto his people. He sees that his people have been neglected, they were being starved to death. â€Å"I was losing control of my own people†¦they were being driven into barbarism†¦growing more determined to resort to violence†¦I opposed the people’s violent instincts† (108). â€Å"I could not help my people anymore; I could not control their wish to resort to violence; all my peaceful efforts so far had been failures† (118). After more and more people leave to fight with the guerillas, the Chinese were angry and complained a lot. â€Å"I was unhappy too at this turn of events† (130). â€Å"I must admit I was very near despair† (133). This was said after he had sent a mission to the guerillas and they never came back, they joined. The majority of the guerillas would not return to their homes. The people of Tibet surrounded the Norbulingka and he knew that the Chinese would fight with artillery and the Tibetans had simple weapons. The Dalai Lama was very upset when he learned that his people threw stones at a minister and an official was stoned to death because they thought he was Chinese. â€Å"This outbreak of violence gave me great distress† (143). â€Å"I felt as if I were standing between two volcanoes, each likely to erupt at any moment† (143). When his people say that they were not leaving the Palace, he knew if was going to be disastrous. â€Å"This development distressed me very much. I felt it was one step more toward disaster† (151). When speaking of his country he said, â€Å"I saw it in a daze of sickness and weariness and unhappiness deeper than I can express† (178). Dalai Lama keeps an optimistic view on everything and tries to maintain hope for his people an... Free Essays on Different Views, Different Responses Free Essays on Different Views, Different Responses Different Views, Different Responses A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble. Mohandas Gandhi The Dalai Lama feels sadness caused by the things that are brought onto his people. He sees that his people have been neglected, they were being starved to death. â€Å"I was losing control of my own people†¦they were being driven into barbarism†¦growing more determined to resort to violence†¦I opposed the people’s violent instincts† (108). â€Å"I could not help my people anymore; I could not control their wish to resort to violence; all my peaceful efforts so far had been failures† (118). After more and more people leave to fight with the guerillas, the Chinese were angry and complained a lot. â€Å"I was unhappy too at this turn of events† (130). â€Å"I must admit I was very near despair† (133). This was said after he had sent a mission to the guerillas and they never came back, they joined. The majority of the guerillas would not return to their homes. The people of Tibet surrounded the Norbulingka and he knew that the Chinese would fight with artillery and the Tibetans had simple weapons. The Dalai Lama was very upset when he learned that his people threw stones at a minister and an official was stoned to death because they thought he was Chinese. â€Å"This outbreak of violence gave me great distress† (143). â€Å"I felt as if I were standing between two volcanoes, each likely to erupt at any moment† (143). When his people say that they were not leaving the Palace, he knew if was going to be disastrous. â€Å"This development distressed me very much. I felt it was one step more toward disaster† (151). When speaking of his country he said, â€Å"I saw it in a daze of sickness and weariness and unhappiness deeper than I can express† (178). Dalai Lama keeps an optimistic view on everything and tries to maintain hope for his people an...

A Guide to the Irish Republican Army (IRA)

A Guide to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) The Irish Republican Army (IRA), which traces its roots to Catholic Irish nationalism in the early 1900s, was considered by many to be a terrorist organization because of certain tactics- such as bombings and assassination- it used to oppose British rule in Ireland. The name IRA has been in use since the organization was founded in 1921. From 1969 through 1997, the IRA splintered into a number of organizations, all called the IRA. They included: The Official IRA (OIRA).The Provisional IRA (PIRA).The Real IRA (RIRA).Continuity IRA (CIRA). The association of the IRA with terrorism comes from the paramilitary activities of the Provisional IRA, which is no longer active. They were originally founded in 1969 when the IRA split into the Official IRA, which renounced violence, and the Provisional IRA. The IRA's Council and Home Base The IRAs home base is in Northern Ireland, with a presence and operations throughout Ireland, Great Britain, and Europe.  The IRA has always had a relatively small membership, estimated at several hundred members, organized in small, clandestine cells. Its daily operations are organized by a 7-person Army Council. Backing and Affiliations From the 1970s-1990s, the IRA received weapons and training from various international sources, most notably American sympathizers, Libya and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Connections have also been posited between the IRA and Marxist-leaning terrorist groups, especially at their most active in the 1970s.   The IRA's Objectives The IRA believed in the  creation of a unified Ireland under Irish, rather than British rule. PIRA used terrorist tactics to protest the Unionist/ Protestant treatment of Catholics in Northern Ireland. Political Activities The IRA is a strictly paramilitary organization. Its political wing is Sinn Fà ©in (We Ourselves, in Gaelic), a party that has represented Republican (Catholic) interests since the turn of the 20th century. When the first Irish assembly was declared in 1918 under the leadership of Sinn Fà ©in, the IRA was considered the official army of the state. Sinn Fà ©in has been a significant force in Irish politics since the 1980s. Historical Context The emergence of the Irish Republican Army has its roots in Irelands 20th-century quest for national independence from Great Britain. In 1801, the Anglican (English Protestant) United Kingdom of Great Britain merged with Roman Catholic Ireland. For the next hundred years, Catholic Irish Nationalists opposed Protestant Irish Unionists, so named because they supported the union with Great Britain. The first Irish Republican Army fought the British in the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence. The Anglo-Irish treaty concluding the war divided Ireland into a Catholic Irish Free State and Protestant Northern Ireland, which became the British province, Ulster. Some elements of the IRA opposed the treaty; it was their descendants who became the terrorist PIRA in 1969. The IRA began its terrorist attacks on the British army and police following a summer of violent rioting between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. For the next generation, the IRA carried out bombings, assassinations and other terrorist attacks against British and Irish Unionist targets. Official talks between Sinn Fà ©in and the British government began in 1994  and appeared to conclude with the 1998 signing of the Good Friday Agreement. The Agreement included the IRAs commitment to disarm. PIRA strategist Brian Keenan, who had spent over a generation promoting the use of violence, was instrumental in bringing about disarmament (Keenan died in 2008). By 2006, the PIRA appeared to have made good on its commitment. However, terrorist activity by the Real IRA and other paramilitary groups continues and, as of the summer of 2006, is on the rise. In 2001, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations released a report detailing connections between the IRA and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) going back to 1998.