Enquiry Question 3: What spheres of influence are contested by superpowers and what are the implications of this?

Question 1

Acquisition of Physical Resources

Answer 1

Pursuit of natural resources including water, land/territory and fossil fuels. e.g. South China Sea, Arctic sea oil exploration

Question 2

Emerging powers

Answer 2

Countries with rising political and economic capabilities and influence that seek a more assertive role in international affairs.

Question 3

Patent

Answer 3

Exclusive rights to an invention or design of a product. It can be manufactured or used rival companies under license.

Question 4

Intellectual Property

Answer 4

Refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. (WIPO 2017)

Question 5

Counterfeiting

Answer 5

Illegal uses of intellectual property, patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

Question 6

Interdependence

Answer 6

A relationship between countries in which they rely on one another for resources, goods, or services

Question 7

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Answer 7

The seazone extending 200 nautical miles from the coast over which a state has special rights as to the exploration and use of marine resources.

Question 8

World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)

Answer 8

A specialised agency of the UN which was created to promote and protect intellectual property (IP) across the world by cooperating with countries as well as international organizations.

Question 9

Sphere of Influence

Answer 9

A foreign region in which a nation has control over trade/economic activities and political decision making.

Question 10

Arab Spring

Answer 10

A series of pro-democracy uprisings that enveloped several largely Muslim countries, including Tunisia, Morocco, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Bahrain.” (Source: shorturl.at/fQTX5)

Question 11

Terrorist Groups

Answer 11

Organisations officially designated as a terrorist threat by state governments. These organisations are deemed to pose a threat to the public or the agenda/ideology of the nation, and aim to use fear (the threat of violence) or actual violence to try and achieve their goals.