7.5 Superpowers and International Decision Making Flashcards
7.5b Alliances
military alliances: NATO
when was NATO formed?
what is a mutual defence agreement?
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
- the NATO alliance, formed at the start of the Cold War in 1949
- NATO has 30 member states that collectively account for most of the world’s firepower including nuclear weapons
- NATO members are western countries, such as the UK and USA
- NATO has a mutual defence agreement, meaning if one member is threatened, all other come to its aid
- its members carry out regular military exercises on each others territory
- since the 1991 and the end of the Cold War, NATO’s influence has diminished to such an extent that its role (and cost) is now being questioned
7.5b Alliances
military alliances: ANZUS
when was ANZUS formed?
what is the aim of ANZUS?
what has ANZUS helped?
Australia, New Zealand and United States Security Treaty
- a 1951 security agreement that binds Australia, New Zealand and the USA to co-operate on military matters in the Pacific and beyond
- it has helped the USA to maintain its presence in the Pacific, and also led Australia and New Zealand to provide military forces for Afghanistan
7.5b Alliances
economic alliances: EU
what is the main principle of the EU?
what underpins its social concerns?
what has Brexit caused?
European Union
- began a trading alliance of six countries in 1956
- this has grown to 29 member states as of 2016 and remains a free trade area
- its principle is that economic strength insures against poverty and it adopts a policy of convergence to reduce inequalities between its richest and poorest members
- its influence extends into environmental issues
- its social concerns are underpinned by a legal framework established in 1945, the European convention on Human Rights
- the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, and there are increased tensions between those who support greater convergence and the right-wing political parties calling for separation
7.5b Alliances
economic alliances: NAFTA
who are its members?
what is its aim?
how does it benefit its members?
North American Free Trade Area
- consists of the USA, Canada and Mexico
- its concerns are economic; there is no free movement of people
- NAFTA benefits the USA because labour costs are lower in Mexico, and has therefore led to the drift of manufacturing south into Mexico
7.5b Alliances
economic alliances: ASEAN
what happened to it 2009?
who does it have trade agreements with?
what are its aims?
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
- founded in 1967 and includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam
- in 2009 it became a free trade bloc (also including Australia and New Zealand)
- ASEAN has free-trade agreements with China, South Korea and Japan
- encourages greater cooperation and economic growth between them and its aims include cultural co-operation and common legal frameworks
7.5b Alliances
environmental alliances: IPCC
who formed the IPCC and when?
what does the IPCC do?
what is the aim of the IPCC?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- established in 1988 by the UN
- the IPCC produces reports which support the main international treaty on climate change, known as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)
- its aim is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate
- its members represent over 120 countries
- these inform member countries and are important on informing the debate on climate change
7.5b Alliances
military and economic alliances
what do military and economic alliances mean for geo-stability?
The overlap between economic and military alliances creates interdependence in terms of geostrategy. Economic prosperity requires geopolitical stability (wars are bad for trade), which is ensured by military alliances.
7.5b Alliances
military alliances
The USA has a broad global military alliance, which its emerging power challengers (China, India, Russia) cannot match. Military alliances are treaties that usually involve mutual defence. These alliances allow the USA to position powerful air and naval assets around the world.
7.5b Alliances
economic alliances
what is the importance of IGOs being set up in western countries for emerging countries?
why are superpowers economically dependent?
As well as being tied together economically, superpowers are tied by economic alliances. This is achieved by free-trade agreements, which allow for tax, tariff and quota-free trade between member countries in goods and/or services.
Most of the world’s powerful inter-governmental organisations (IGOs) such as the United Nations, WTO and EU were set up by Western countries in the 1940s and 50s. Their actions frequently reflect Western attitudes to trade, capitalism, political freedom and the environment. They may not reflect the attitudes of emerging powers such as China or Russia.
Economic interdependence because
- free import/exports taxes and tariffs, TNCs can operate as truly international entities, moving physical, human and financial resources anywhere within the bloc
- workers find it easier to move between countries especially when freedom of movement is part of the agreement as it is within the EU
- the revenues and profits of TNCs, and the smaller businesses that supply them, are highest when the economic health of the whole trade bloc is good
Security and military co-operation are often found between countries that are economically very interdependent.
7.5a Global action
role of superpowers
what are the three main roles of superpowers globally?
crisis response
settling conflicts
managing climate change
7.5a Global action
key events
give some examples of key events that have shown the role of superpowers in global action?
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War on Terror
Since 2001, the USA has led a global effort against Islamic terrorism in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, East Africa and the Middle East
2011 Libya Crisis
The EU, led by France and the UK, took military action against the Gaddafi regime, with the help of US military assets
2010 Haiti Earthquake
The USA used its vast naval and air force assets to respond to the disaster with medical, food and infrastructure aid
2014 Ebola epidemic
The USA, UK and France led the crisis response in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, deploying military and medical assets
7.5c The United Nations
general
when was the UN set up?
what was the aim of the UN as it was set up?
The United Nations was set up in 1945. With other global IGOs, it was part of an attempt to create a new world order of peace, prosperity and stability, and avoid further world wars.
7.5c The United Nations
The UN Security Council
who are the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council?
what power do these members have?
what undermines the UN?
what stopped its effectiveness during the Cold War?
what is its main aim?
how does it do this?
what is its annual budget?
The UN Security Council has 5 permanent members: UK, USA, France, China and Russia. Each country has veto power against any actions.
This council has failed to get agreement at the UN and have subsequently taken unilateral action themselves. Arguably this undermines the ‘collective security’ principle that the Security Council was set up to achieve.
During the Cold War, constant vetoes reflected hostility between the USSR and USA, but since 1991 the Security Council has been active in peacekeeping. It has authorised military and peacekeeping missions to conflicts.
There are 10 rotating non-permanent members selected to represent nations from different continents that change every 2 years
The Security Council is the primary global mechanism for maintaining International peace and security. It maintains international law by
- applying sanctions to countries that are deemed to be a security risk
- authorising the use of military force against a country
- authorising a UN Peacekeeping Force
It now has an annual budget of $40bn
7.5c The United Nations
The UN International Court of Justice
what does the International Court of Justice do?
what legal framework does it follow?
The International Court of Justice aims to uphold international law and is based in The Hague in The Netherlands. It settles disputes between UN member countries and advises on international law.
It’s legal framework is a Western one, reflecting the fact than the UN was set up by the USA and European powers
7.5c The United Nations
Peacekeeping Missions
when are peacekeeping missions used and when?
what happens if peacekeeping missions are unsuccessful?
Peacekeeping missions are used before conflicts escalate to better understand the sources of geo-political tensions and resolve the issues early.
Sanctions may then be used to end conflicts
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