Case Studies

Question 1

What is an example of a strategic partnership with a ‘friendly’ dictatorship?

Answer 1

The US supporting Egypt from the 1979 Israeli- Egyptian peace treaty

Question 2

Why did the US support Israel post 1945?

Answer 2

For being a democracy amidst many authoritarian states

Question 3

Who criticised Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy and why?

Answer 3

Jeane J Kirkpatrick, as she stressed that he didn’t understand the difference between alliances with friendly dictators and unfriendly dictators, for example his support of extremists in Nicaragua and Iran

Question 4

When was the Gulf War?

Answer 4

1990

Question 5

Why did Iraq attempt to invade Kuwait?

Answer 5

They saw it as an artificial creation of imperial powers. Also, they had economic motives following their losses in the Iran- Iraqi war. They assumed the west would not retaliate due to their support of Iraq in the Iran- Iraqi war.

Question 6

When did Iraq invade Kuwait?

Answer 6

2 August 1990

Question 7

What was the UN reaction to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait?

Answer 7

Economic sanctions, and then US lead forces in Saudi Arabia- operation ‘desert storm’

Question 8

What did George H Bush claim the purpose of the gulf war was?

Answer 8

‘A big idea; a new world order’

Question 9

What are Marxist criticisms of neoliberalism?

Answer 9

• widens inequalities between developed and developing world
• facilitates the developed world’s access to raw materials as the developing country’s become reliant on their export
• there are recurrent crises as the market fails- eg 2008, where the governments had to intervene in the banks, which caused the governments to go into debt. As a result they implement austerity which impacts the most vulnerable citizens.

Question 10

What was the far left party that was elected in Greece after their financial crash?

Answer 10

Syriza

Question 11

To whom was the term ‘refugee’ first applied and why?

Answer 11

Russians fleeing the Bolsheviks, as it is easy to accuse rival states of persecution

Question 12

When did the Kurds present their claim for an independent state and where?

Answer 12

1919 at the Paris peace conference they claimed ‘Kurdistan’

Question 13

Why could the Kurds not create a self determined state?

Answer 13

Turkish nationalism succeeded, and they were opposed to ‘Kurdistan’

Question 14

How did the 2003 Iraq conflict help Kurds?

Answer 14

They created an autonomous Kurdish region and have negotiated oil supplies with turkey

Question 15

Where else has Kurdish nationalism prevailed?

Answer 15

Diaspora nationalism

Question 16

When was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand?

Answer 16

28 June 1914

Question 17

What was the result of the assassination of arch duke Ferdinand short term?

Answer 17

Austria occupied Serbia and the Serbian government until 1919

Question 18

What happened to Serbia in 1919?

Answer 18

Serbia joined with ‘south slav’ to form ‘Tribune Kingdom of Slovenes, Croatia and Serbs’ which then became Yugoslavia. This was justified by Woodrow Wilson’s speech of self determination.

Question 19

How was Yugoslavia restored after 1945?

Answer 19

As a communist state under Tito, separate from USSR

Question 20

What happened to Yugoslavia when the USSR collapsed?

Answer 20

Slovenia broke away and the Serb ex-communist Milosevic used ethno- nationalism to spark conflict. Belated western intervention ended the violence.

Question 21

Why was individual criminal accountability shocking?

Answer 21

It overpowers sovereign immunity

Question 22

What are different means of individual criminal accountability?

Answer 22

• international criminal tribunals
• post-authoritarian states’ domestic prosecutions over former leaders
• other countries courts seeking prosecution of other states leaders

Question 23

Who were there international criminal tribunals held for?

Answer 23

Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda

Question 24

What is the most famous example of other countries courts seeking prosecution for other states’ leaders?

Answer 24

Spanish court seeking persecution of Pinochet, the ex-Chilean dictator, under the idea of universal jurisdiction for gross human rights

Question 25

What are international tribunals criticised for?

Answer 25

Slowness, unfairness and they are seen as quasi-imperial tools of the west

Question 26

How does South Africa criticise the ICC and why?

Answer 26

They demanded for African signatories of the Rome Statute that created ICC to leave court, as they claimed that the chief prosecutor unfairly targeted Africans

Question 27

What is a counter argument for South Africa’s criticism of the ICC?

Answer 27

In negotiation of the Rome Statute of the ICC, African states were enthusiastic supporters. Also, the ICC’a first 4 cases came from Africa, 3 referred from African governments

Question 28

When was UNCTAD created?

Answer 28

1964

Question 29

Why was UNCTAD created?

Answer 29

It was created to promote international trade, a challenge by developing countries to the dominant GATT

Question 30

What was the agenda of UNCTAD?

Answer 30

Stability in international commodity prices and additional funding for developing states through IMF

Question 31

Why did UNCTAD fail?

Answer 31

It was supposed to have a ‘1 state, 1 vote’ system, but developed states opposed this, as they were outnumbered. As a result, only minor changes were made by developed states.

Question 32

What is the purpose of the IMF?

Answer 32

It provides states suffering from a ‘balance of payments deficit’ with ability to borrow foreign currency.

Question 33

How does the IMF work?

Answer 33

Member states put capital into IMF commensurate, proportionate to their economies, and they can borrow up to this amount.

Question 34

Why is it argued that the IMF is US biased?

Answer 34

It was initially apolitical, staffed by economists, but has a weighted vote system. A quota of capital provided by a state determines the states share of the vote. The US currently has 16.79% of the vote, which means they can veto decisions that need 85% minimum. As a result, it delayed increasing the vote for emerging economies for 5 years until Dec 2015.

Question 35

What are the implications of borrowing money from the IMF for states?

Answer 35

There are demands for large scale economic reforms for borrowers, which support the basis of the Washington Consensus, which enforces the enhanced role of the free market.

Question 36

When did the US invade Iraq to remove Saddam Hussain?

Answer 36

March 2003

Question 37

What was the justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq?

Answer 37

Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction, defying earlier UN resolutions. US and UK pointed to the UNSC resolution 687 of 91, which required destruction of Iraqi weapons under UN supervision.

Question 38

How was the US’ justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq undermined?

Answer 38

They failed to find weapons of mass destruction and a civil war erupted subsequent to their invasion. There was also no UNSC resolution to invade, and France and Russia threatened to veto 2nd UNSC in favour of intervention.