International Relations

FINAL STUDY GUIDE

·       The major concepts from Chapters 22, 23 and 24 in Strayer:

o        Chap 22. Page 689, Know the answers to the 6 Big Picture Questions

o        Chap 23. Page 720. Know the answers to the 4 Big Picture Questions

o        Chap 24. Page 755. Know the answers to the 7 Big Picture Questions

·       The first three sections of The Aging of Planet Earth handout. 1. Pop. Bomb 2. Rich Country 3. West Doomed

·       Understand each of the 12 indicators of a what a Failed State is (and know some examples):

o         DEMOGRAPHICS. Age, Sex, Children, etc. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC):  9.9 of 10.  If you live in Congo, there's about a 50-50 chance you are under age 14.

o         REFUGEES   Somalia: 10    Almost a quarter of Somalia's population, or about 2 million people, has been uprooted by conflict …

o         ILLEGITIMATE GOVERNMENTS  Afghanistan, Somalia: 10   Somalia's Western-backed government controls just a few blocks in Mogadishu. In Afghanistan, a thriving Taliban insurgency, the presence of international troops, and a flawed presidential election have undermined the government's legitimacy.

o         BRAIN DRAIN   Zimbabwe:  9.7   1 out of every 5 Zimbabweans has fled the country over the past decade-many of them professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, and journalists.

o         PUBLIC SERVICES  Niger: 9.7 Niger may well be the poorest country in the world. The government lacks any ability to provide services such as education and health care; rampant illiteracy and high rates of infant mortality are the abysmal result.

o         INEQUALITY  DRC, Sudan: 9.5    The tiny elites in Congo and Sudan have profited enormously from resource wealth. Overwhelming majorities in both countries, meanwhile, remain desperately poor.

o         GROUP GRIEVANCES  Sudan: 9.9  Sudan's south, east, and west are all in some stage of seeking autonomy from the capital in Khartoum, citing grievances that range from government neglect to active persecution.

o         HUMAN RIGHTS  Somalia, Sudan: 9.9   Having a president indicted for war crimes isn't a good sign, but the real measure of Sudan's woeful human rights record is its history of subduing restive regions through massive brutality.

o         ECONOMIC DECLINE   North Korea, Somalia, Zimbabwe: 9.6  Dictators in North Korea and Zimbabwe have rigged their economies to funnel profits into regime hands -- even with their national markets in complete collapse.

o         SECURITY FORCES  Somalia: 10  In a few parts of Mogadishu, the government or African Union peacekeepers are in control. Elsewhere, it's Islamist militias, local warlords, or an assortment of rival clan factions.

o         FACTIONALIZED ELITES  Somalia: 10  Islamist and clan organizations vie for control throughout the country, and internal shake-ups have made the government spectacularly unstable.

o         EXTERNAL INTERVENTION Afghanistan: 10  NATO forces are not alone in trying to direct Afghanistan's future: Pakistan, India, Iran, Russia, and China are also pursuing divergent interests there.

·       Questions will be taken from the quizzes already given (and for tomorrow’s) for the assigned Upfront readings.

·       Ability to simulate Realist, Liberal and Marxist perspectives in diplomacy, outlook:

o        Realist.

o        Liberal.

o        Marxist.

·       Ability to explain political cartoons, showing an understanding of world conflicts…

·       Ability to apply the world paradigms we have studied to specific scenarios

·      Understanding the two sides in a conflict; taking a position for which you can make a reasoned defense based on current global realities, being able to summarize the main ideas in various readings.