Political Geography Geography
Why are coalitions common in Indonesian politics?
Individual political parties often fail to meet the minimum requirements necessary to nominate a presidential candidate. (A party must receive 25 percent of the votes or 20 percent of the seats in order to nominate a presidential candidate.)
How have democratic presidential elections been viewed in Indonesia recently?
Indonesia has been beset by corruption and a crumbling infrastructure, but the elections have been peaceful and accepted by the people. (Although Indonesia is a large, fragmented democracy, the elections have not experienced widespread controversy.)
Why does Indonesia have one of the world's most complicated electoral systems?
Indonesia is the world's third largest democracy and elections for president and both chambers of the legislature are held simultaneously. (Only India and the United States have larger democracies.)
How does Indonesia's shape affect its electoral system?
It can take a month to collate the results from the thousands of islands that make up the country. (Indonesia, an archipelago, is composed of nearly 13,500 islands.)
How did Qatar influence the geopolitics of Southwest Asia and Northern Africa during the period known as the Arab Spring?
Qatar played a central role in forming a coalition with the United States, United Kingdom, and France to overthrow Muammar Gadaffi.
How has Qatar been able to achieve one of the world's highest standards of living, providing free health care and education with no taxes?
Qatar sits atop the world's third largest gas reserves. (Qatar also has large petroleum reserves.)
How reliant on foreign labor is Qatar's construction boom?
Qatar's construction boom relies on a labor force that overwhelmingly is foreign-born. (An estimated 94 percent of Qatar's labor force is foreign-born, coming primarily from India, Nepal, and the Philippines.)
What accounts for the greatest portion of the $2 billion spent on the 2014 election?
Hiring 4.5 million workers to run the election (Sixty percent of the budget went to hiring election staff.)
What is Al Jazeera?
An Arab-language news channel broadcasting throughout Southwest Asia and Northern Africa. (Al Jazeera has had around-the-clock broadcasting since 1999.)
Which of the following descriptions best characterizes Qatar's capital city of Doha?
Doha is a modern city whose skyline is dominated by glass-clad skyscrapers. (Qatar is 99 percent urbanized and all of Doha's modern skyscrapers have been built since the mid-1990s.)
