4.10 Rising Tensions

Question 1

Why has London become so diverse?

Answer 1

-open borders- EU citizens were free to move around. In 2015, there were around 250,000 French people living in London
-The freedom to invest in buisness or transfer capital in the UK
-FDI- In 2015, the UK attracted over 32,000 jobs from overseas-owned companies investing in software and financial services

Question 2

What are examples showing globalisation has helped to increase diversity in the UK?

Answer 2

-polish communities in Boston, Lincolnshire and Balham, London
-Latvian groups in Cornwall
The dispersal of people throughout the world has led to diasporas: distributions of people away from their homeland

Question 3

What are the issues that the increase of immigration is having in the UK?

Answer 3

-migrants have become victims of harassment, abuse, violence and exploitation
-Many Londoners feel like too much immigration has been allowed. 12.5% voted for UKIP in 2015 and for Brexit on the grounds of stricter immigration controls. More recently, the Conservative government have put in place new measures to try to “stop the boats” by threatening to send people to Rwanda, which has raised issues over human rights

Question 4

What are examples of extreme political parties emerging due to the tensions of globalisation?

Answer 4

-golden dawn in Greece
-Northern league in Italy
-France’s national front
All becoming increasingly popular

Question 5

How have refugees caused tensions?

Answer 5

Since 2014 and the increased number of refugees from Syria, there have been tensions between Greece and other Balkan countries and Turkey

Question 6

Where does the Mekong river flow?

Answer 6

One of South East Asia’s major rivers, flowing for 4,200km from China through Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand to its delta in Vietnam

Question 7

What has been the problems with the Mekong river in recent years?

Answer 7

Since the 1990s, a number of dams have been built on the river or its tributaries, which has caused controversy

Question 8

What agreement came about to prevent trans border water conflicts at the Mekong river?

Answer 8

A 1995 treaty, known as the Mekong river agreement required all the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to all agree to any proposals for new dams before they were built. The treaty aimed to share water allocations within the Mekong river basin.

Question 9

Which dam is testing the Mekong river agreement?

Answer 9

The Xayaburi Dam in Laos is testing this agreement. Water taken from the main river in this upstream country will then affect water flow in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Laos benefits from the dam in terms of water and employment, while Thailand receives the electricity generated by the dam and has financed it

Question 10

How many more dams along the Mekong river have been proposed?

Answer 10

11 more dams- nine of them in Laos

Question 11

How does the Mekong benefit China?

Answer 11

China owns half the length of the Mekong. The upper basin is mountainous but the southern part is one of China’s poorest regions. Damming the river to generate hydroelectric power would encourage economic development there

Question 12

What does Thailand want done with the Mekong river?

Answer 12

Only 36% of Thailand’s territory is within the Mekong basin, but Thailand would like the water and electricity generated by the dams for industrial development - and to aid rural investment to stem the flow of migrants to its cities

Question 13

What is Laos’ involvement in the Mekong river?

Answer 13

Laos is one of the world’s poorest countries and 90% of its population depends on the Mekong for agriculture. Dams built for water or hydroelectric power or flood control would reduce their flow downstream

Question 14

What is Cambodia’s involvement in the Mekong river?

Answer 14

Nearly all of Cambodia is within the Mekong basin. It depends on the Mekong for crucial annual flooding of its rice growing area. Its lack of reliable energy sources has led to the depletion of its forests for firewood. Hydroelectric power would boost the country’s economic development , but it would displace villagers from fertile land besides the river

Question 15

What is Vietnam’s involvement in the Mekong river?

Answer 15

The Mekong supports 40% of Vietnam’s population. Annual floods allow a large amount of rice to be grown. Continuing to dam the Mekong would mean Vietnam’s river flow would be reduced- they have already lost 10%

Question 16

What is trade protectionism?

Answer 16

the deliberate attempt to limit imports or promote exports by putting up barriers to trade. Types include:
-tariffs and quotas
-embargoes
-subsidies- if a government subsidizes domestic production it gives them an unfair advantage over competitors

Question 17

What has illegal trade been like in recent years?

Answer 17

Illegal smugglers can still be very hard to control as in 2014, global sales of drugs exceeded US$300 billion

Question 18

What are two examples of illegal trade flows?

Answer 18

Afghanistan to the UK
-60 % of Afghanistan’s GDP may come from illegal opium trade, feeding the demand for heroin

Cuba and the USA
The US imposed a trade embargo against Cuba in 1962

Question 19

What is an example of the UK being affected by trade protectionism?

Answer 19

In 2016, cheap Chinese steel was being ‘dumped’ onto global markets at prices heavily subsidised by the Chinese government in order to protect its own manufacturers. The consequences in the UK were huge- the India owners of Tata Steel -the UK’s largest steel manufacturer, which was losing 1 million a day- put all of its UK steel plants up for sale and threatened to close them if a deal could not be arranged. A solution would have been to have raised tariffs on imported steel to protect domestic producers, but this was forbidden by the WTO

Question 20

What is an example of censorship?

Answer 20

China and North Korea
For nearly 70 years, China has been ruled by the communist party
China’s rulers are intolerant of any criticism against them by their own citizens
In 1988, students demonstrated against communism in Tiananmen Square- hundreds of people died in the army crackdown that followed. Many people still don’t know what happened that day , due to strict censorship or the internet

Question 21

What has the internet in China become like due to censorship?

Answer 21

Google withdrew their services there when the Chinese gov insisted that search engine results should be censored to hide information about Tiananmen square
Although Facebook, Twitter and Youtube remain unavailable there, thanks to the great firewall of China, more than 400 million Chinese interact with each other on local social media sites such as Youku Tudou

Question 22

What is state controlled censorship?

Answer 22

where print publishing or broadcasting via TV or radio is run by official state media

Question 23

What is state monitored censorship?

Answer 23

where overseas contacts or media are monitored and censored

Question 24

What is the most serious example of reducing immigration?

Answer 24

The most sensational was a proposal by Republican Donald Trump during the 2016 US Presidential election to control the flow of immigration from Mexico by building a high border along the border

Question 25

What are the two arguments against immigration?

Answer 25

-cheap migrant labour undercuts local wages
-the government has not adequately planned for the increased demands on welfare, healthcare, housing and education caused by the influx of migrants

Question 26

What are the migration controls like in the UK?

Answer 26

Debates in the UK have focused on limiting net migration
Since 2010, a five tier point system has been in place in the UK designed to help control immigration by checking that economic migrants possess skills or resources that the UK economy needs. For example tier 1 migrants must be prepared to invest more than £2 million into the UK or possess ‘exceptional talent’
The incoming UK gov of 2010, pledged to cut immigration to 100,000 a year, but this was not met

Question 27

Why has the target of 100,000 net migrants a year not been achieved?

Answer 27

Fewer UK citizens have left the UK since the 2008 financial crisis
The pound-euro exchange rate has weakened, meaning that the cost of living in the Eurozone for UK citizens is higher

Question 28

What group in Canada are feeling the effects of gloablisation?

Answer 28

First nations- these indigenous people had much of their land taken away from them in the colonial rule of the 18th and 19th century. However, ever since the late 20th century, efforts have been made to acknowledge the rights of First Nations to compensation payments

Question 29

What has caused conflict with the indigenous people of Canada?

Answer 29

Many cases of resource exploitation in Canada have caused conflict with traditional communities, and the Canadian government were accused of supporting TNCs against indigenous landholders. In 2013, six of the 21 proposed resource projects were close to collapse, because of protests from traditional communities. Their targets included communities such as:
-fracking in New Brunswick
-oil sands and shales mining
-trans mountain pipeline
-the Pacific Trails Pipeline