Global Issues Section 1: Key Actors on the World Stage Quiz Questions
All of the following are Non-Governmental Organizations (or NGOs) except Red Cross Amnesty International UN Care
UN
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are:
United Kingdom, United States, China, Russia, France
Which leader has weakened the power of the courts, curbed the media, and pledged to make his country a Christian homeland?
Viktor Orban`
According to Jeremy Rifkin's video:
We all descended from the same ancestors in Africa and we must broaden our identity to one human family
Jeremy Rifkin's video speaks to building an empathic civilization based on:
The recognition that life is fragile and the human inclination to show solidarity
State sovereignty is:
The right of states to self-government, with political leaders determining the rules, laws, and processes within their territories
What are examples of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
-Amnesty International -Red Cross -Care -Greenpeace
What is a common critique of Multinational Corporations (MNCs, sometimes called TNCs) as global actors?
Due to their economic strength and global networks, they exercise too much power
Individuals serving as actors on the world stage include:
- Industry leaders, such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg - Celebrities such as Beyoncé and Angelina Jolie
*Nationalism is:
-A force that arises from different sources, such as shared ethnicity, language, religion, culture, and history -One of the most important forms of human identity -A shared sense of identity that has a purpose of gaining or keeping control of a group's destiny
(UN) Secretariat: (2)
-Administers programs and policies of UN organs -Has international staff that takes orders from the Secretary General
What are examples of Multinational Corporations (MNCs, also sometimes referred to as Transnational Corporations or TNCs)?
-Apple -Wells Fargo -Google
(UN) Economic and Social Council: (2)
-Coordinates the FAO, WHO, UNDP, and other specialized agencies -Is central body for coordinating UN economic and social work
*What are sources of identity that can contribute to a sense of nationalism:
-Feelings of civic community -Ethnicity -Language -Geographic proximity -Religion -Historical memory
*Nationalism can be seen in:
-Gandhi's drive for independence from Great Britain before and after WWII -The singing of the national anthem at baseball games
*A state:
-Has roots in the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648 -Is synonymous with a country -Is a political unit that has sovereignty over a geographic area
(UN) Trustee Council: (2)
-Has suspended operations -Was set up after WWII to promote self-governance in colonies
(UN) Security Counci: (4)
-Has the main responsibility to keep peace and security in the world -has 5 permanent and 5 nonpermanent members -may impose economic sanctions or embargoes -includes ability to veto resolutions
*Sovereignty:
-Is seen when a state deports immigrants who have illegally crossed borders fleeing violence or looking for a better life -Can be seen in a negative form when a repressive state throws a person in jail for trumped up or fabricated reasons -Can be seen in a positive form when a state fairly and effectively enforces traffic laws
*A founding objective of the United Nations is to:
-Maintain peace and security -Promote economic development and human rights
What are examples of International Governmental Organizations (IGOs)?
-OPEC -EU -Doctors Without Borders -World Bank
*Rifkin argues that:
-Our social consciousness evolves and we can extend it to the entire biosphere, allowing us to survive as a species -Technology helps us "eliminate time and space" and build empathy beyond religious and national ties
(UN) International Court of Justice: (2)
-Settles legal disputes only between states -Is UN's main judicial organ
*What are examples of nationalism as a powerful force
-The ongoing struggle of the Kurds for autonomy or even their own state -The feelings of national pride and preeminence that spurred European colonization throughout the developing world -The strong sense of superiority felt in Nazi Germany, leading to the death of millions -The creation of the United Nations, in as much as it was meant to restrain the destructive tendencies of nationalism -The sense of shared identity that sparked oppressed peoples to overthrow their colonizers from India to Africa -The anticolonial movements that helped lead to the increase in the number of states from 57 in 1900 to almost 200 today
*Anti-State nationalism can be considered:
-The type of nationalism that sparked uprisings against governments in the Middle East starting in 2010 (the "Arab Spring") -The ideology of people who want to overthrow what they see as an illegitimate government
*Which agencies does the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) coordinate:
-UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) -FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) -UNDP (United Nations Development Program) -WHO (World Health Organization)
*In the interview with Secretary General Guterres, he argues that:
-We need to strengthen multilateral institutions and give them the tools needed to face the dramatic challenges we have in front of us -Gridlock in the U.N. Security Council, which can pass enforceable resolutions, has stalled any real action on COVID-19 -The UN has limited tools to force a country to follow guidelines from UN agencies, such as the World Health Organization -There has been no unity in the strategy to fight the pandemic, and each country has gone its own way
*Nationalism and Religion:
-can be considered the two most powerful forms of identification in the world today -Are generally considered the only two forces that can legitimate social violence (as opposed to personal violence)
(UN) General Assembly: (2)
-can discuss any matter, except disputes being considered by the Sec. Council -is the main deliberative organ; all member states are represented
While each of the leaders mentioned in the article has taken steps that concern proponents of democracy, they also generally claim to have:
A pro-business agenda
According to Rifkin, people are "soft-wired" for:
Aggression, Violence, Self-Interest
Rifkin argues families, schools, governments, and businesses:
Can both repress and foster the core empathic nature in humans
The text identifies which type of actors as the most salient (or prominent) global players that we "continually" read about as they try to solve global issues?
Countries (states)
Nations are best defined as:
Groups connected by a unique mix of shared ethnicity, language, religion, culture, history, and/or sense of civic community
Researchers across different fields have found that:
Humans are "soft wired" to show empathy
Match the leaders to their respective countries: Viktor Orban Rodrigo Duterte Recep Tayyip Erdogan Narendra Modi Jair Bolsonaro
Hungary Philippines Turkey India Brazil
Rifkin concludes that:
If we can't imagine our empathy extending to a planetary scale, we won't be able to save ourselves or possibly the planet
Which country has the most negative rating of the UN (65% negative)?
Israel
Which leader has used an executive order to give his government far-reaching and restrictive powers over non-governmental organizations, pulled his country out of a U.N. migration pact, made disparaging comments about women, and placed a significant number of military leaders in key government positions?
Jair Bolsonaro
Which individual actor led Liberian women in non-violent protests against the violence in Liberia, winning the Nobel Peace Prize?
Leymah Gbowee
Which individual actor was shot in the face because of her work promoting the rights of women and girls in Pakistan, winning the Nobel Peace Prize?
Malala Yousafzai
*Which of the following is NOT true about Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and their impact on international affairs? -NGOs can facilitate communications across state borders -NGOs allow individuals to come together to deal with common concerns -NGOs help shape international public opinion -NGOs are solely responsible for inter-state cooperation
NGOs are solely responsible for inter-state cooperation
Which leader has pursued laws that hurt his country's minority Muslim population and curbed the operations of NGOs, such as the Ford Foundation, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace?
Narendra Modi
Which leader has pushed anti-drug policies that have led to thousands of deaths (mostly of the innocent poor, according to human rights groups), uses profanities with abandon, and has compared himself to Hitler?
Rodrigo Duterte
Multinational Corporations (MNCs, sometimes called TNCs) are:
Non-state (non-governmental) actors, focused on profit
Pro-state nationalism can also be considered:
Official nationalism, linking the people with their legitimate government
Nation-states (one nation within one state):
Rarely exist in the strictest sense of the term, if national identity is based on ethnicity
Which leader has crushed dissent, jailed journalists, and sparked concern he is taking his country toward Sharia law?
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
According to the Pew survey, people in _____________ had the highest (most percentage positive) opinion of the UN.
The Philippines, South Korea, Sweden
State sovereignty started to become a cornerstone of international affairs after the signing of which treaty:
The Treaty of Westphalia
The Secretary General of the UN is:
The UN's chief bureaucrat, with some standing and diplomatic soft power
The benefits that all International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) offer their members include what?
The creation of habits of cooperation between states
Which is true about views in the U.S. toward the UN?
They are increasingly partisan, with Democrats having a more favorable view of the UN than Republicans
Is younger or older people across the globe more likely to favor UN?
Younger people across the globe are more likely to have a favorable view of the UN
According to Jeremy Rifkin's video, humans are driven by many motivations, but the "first drive" is:
empathy
What is a powerful tool which can liberate, oppress, or empower a people
nationalism
