Gov test 1

Why is China not a democratic country?

Because chinease who supported the communist party or held anti democratic perspectives had long expressed skepticism towards western style democracy as incompatible with traditionalists chinese culture. They hold that gov is legitimate not when people influence it but when it represents their higher interests

House of commons

British legislative body of elected representatives; five year terms; determines great britains legislative and finacial policies

Falun Gong

A spiritual movement that combines physical exercise with buddhism and taoism

NGOs

An international organization comprised of individuals and groups outside the scope of government

IGOs

An international organization comprised of members of national governments

Suprantionalist organizations

An organization whose authority overrides the sovereignty of its individual members

House of lords

Has been an aristocratic body with 1200 members; now dominated by about 540 life peers; has limited power; can amend legislation or vote down bills passed by commons

Maastricht Treaty

This allowed the EU to start acting more as a political unit able to enforce common rules, not only for trade but also for crime fighting, immigration, citizenship and other common concerns

presidential government

This type of government separates the executive branch from the legislative and judicial branches. The office of the president was created to carry out laws. Only a small number if democratic nations have this gov.

National diet

Upper house of councillors and lower house of representatives; sole lawmaking organ if the state

Mullah

a specially trained Islamic religious leader

Consolidated democracies

is the process by which a new democracy matures, in a way that means it is unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock. ... Unconsolidated democracies suffer from formalized but intermittent elections and clientelism.

Terrorism

the use of violence and intimidation by nongovernmental groups against civilians in the pursuit of political aims

Shah

A king

Life peers

A person who has been awarded a title in the House of Lords for outstanding achievement

Cuban, Chinese, and N. Korean governments

-Cuba became a communist dictatorship largely sustained by the Soviet Union. Castro maintained strict control over the Cuban people.; -Today Chyna has two parallel systems of government. There is a ceremonial national government and even the president and Vice President.; -North Korea's totalitarian government centers on unquestioning loyalty to Kim Jong II. Kim's government controls all aspects of peoples lives including where people live and travel, what jobs they can have, and what schools children attend.

UN General Assembly and security council

-The heart of the UN; discusses, debates and recommends solutions for major international problems for the UN. -executive board for the general assembly; 15 nations; makes peacekeeping decisions for the UN

List some incidents where the UN has acted as a peacekeeper in a non military setting.

-acts as a peacekeeper when its member states have approved a mission, volunteered troops, and agreed to pay for the mission. -un peacekeeping often insert international force troops between combatants as a way to calm an explosive situation/monitor a negotiated cease fire. -sometimes lightly armed peacekeeping forces will undertake missions. -overseeing elections/providing humantiarian aid to help starving people

What are the challenges facing South Africa's government today?

-building a democratic civic culture. -ensuring equal civil rights throughout society. -raising the standard of living for disadvantages S. Africans while maintaining economic growth

What is the real role of the Chinese's national party Congress?

-they have no real power. -they meet for only about two weeks each year and merely serve as a rubberstamp for the policies of party leaders

Islamic theocracies

-they want to preserve or bring back cultural traditions such as requiring women to cover their faces in public and banning modern movies and music. -They look too specially trained islamic religious leaders called mullahs, who interpret and up old traditional Islamic teachings

What are the three major goals of the UN?

1. Preserve world peace and security 2. Encourage nations to deal fairly with one another 3. Help nations cooperate in trying to solve their social and economic problems

Should the five permanent UN Security Council members be able to override any decision by the UN general assembly? Why or why not?

I think that they should be abke to override because if a decision is being made and one person feels that maybe it shouldn't happen then there is doubt in that decision and going through with it could have a negative outcome.

Bay of Pigs

In 1961, when the anti castro exiles trained by the US invaded Cuba; it was a failed invasion and embarrassed the US

Iranian Revolution

In the late 1979, Iranians took American diplomats hostage in the US Embassy in Iran and held them there for more than a year

Parliamentary Government

In this form of gov, executive and legislative functions both reside in thr elected assembly, or parliment. Often the parliment selects the leaders of the executive branch of government, qho are known as the cabinet.

How has the EU expansion affected the EC?

It has changed the makeup of the Euopean commission as far as how many members represent each participating nation

European Parliament

Legislative branch of the EU, with 732 members divided among countries with basis of popularity; works alongside the counsil to form annual budget for the EU and supervise the operations of smaller EU instituations

Politburo

National policy; composed of about 20 top party leaders and its standing committee is made of the CCPs top 7

Solidarity

Produces or is based in unities of interests, objectives, standards and sympathies; refers to the ties in a society that bind people together as one; may be mainly based on kinship and shared values

Apartheid and the Sanctions movement

Strict segregation of the races; imposing restrictions and withholding aid, against the south african government

State sponsored terrorism

Terrorism that is secretly supported by a government