Section A - EQ3 - What Spheres of Influence are Contested by Superpowers and What are the Implications of This?

Question 1

Tensions over Resources - The Arctic Circle - Which countries lay claim to the Arctic Circle, what do they do there which adds tension, how much of the world’s untapped oil and gas does the Arctic contain and why is it increasingly possible to drill for it?

Answer 1

• Various countries are fighting over the Arctic Circle and the resources that it contains, including Russia, Denmark, the USA, Canada, and Norway
• All of these have carried out military drills in the regions, adding to the tension in the area
• Drilling for oil and gas is now increasingly possible further into the Arctic due to global warming – estimates say that the Arctic contains 1/8th of the world’s untapped oil and a quarter of its untapped gas

Question 2

Tensions over territory - Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan

Answer 2

• Tensions over territory have also recently been taken up a gear with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent action from the West
• This was also the case after the breaking up of the USSR in 1991, with many Eastern European countries wanting to break away from Russia after this occurrence – eight of these looking West and joining the EU in 2004
• Some states bordering Russia are still purposely supportive of the Russian war in Ukraine, because they are still influenced by Russia in terms of their economy (trade and energy supplies), culture (similar demographics) and politics (similar political systems)
• China has claims in Taiwan, Tibet, and Hong Kong and doesn’t intend to abandon any of these, whilst simultaneously wanting to expand its influence in Asia and the South China Sea
• However, it is hard to imagine China engaging in a Russia-style takeover of any of these regions as they are protected by the US and that would almost certainly lead to war

Question 3

Growing influence of superpowers - What has happened since 1991 with the USA and China, what has China’s increasing demand for resources led to?

Answer 3

• Since 1991, the USA has been the only superpower in a unipolar world, however, this is being contested by China, whose economy has grown from the world’s 6th largest to the world’s 2nd largest between 2000 and 2016, and is projected to overtake the US economy in the coming decades
• China’s demand for resources has led to increasing trade relations with the developing world, especially Africa

Question 4

Growing influence of superpowers - What has China’s Africa trade worth in 2015, what sectors has it boosted, how many Chinese have moved to Africa since 2005?

Answer 4

• China’s involvement in Africa is focused on trade and investment in infrastructure
• By 2015, China’s African trade was worth $300 billion
• This has boosted development in mining and agriculture, banking and IT
• Many Sub-Saharan traders now work in Africa while over a million Chinese have moved to Africa since 2005

Question 5

Growing influence of superpowers - What has Chinese investment in Africa help build, what issues has and could this also result in?

Answer 5

• Chinese investment has helped build schools, hospitals, and houses across Africa, and train 40,000 African personnel
• But this also brings environmental issues such as increased water and air pollution from more factories
• Increased Chinese investment in Africa could also affect regional dynamics in Asia, as China is already on tense ground with Taiwan, Tibet, Japan, and India

Question 6

Attitudes and Actions - Contrasting Cultural Ideologies in the Middle East - Political tensions in the Middle East -

Answer 6

Politically – The state of Israel is contentious for many Arab states, who wish to see a separate state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel – the creation of a Jewish homeland state (Israel) in 1948 politically unified the Muslim Middle East opposition to it, and as a major supporter of Israel the USA struggles to maintain a positive influence in the Middle East – Afghanistan is also a problem in the region as exemplified after 9/11 and in 2022 when the Taliban took over

Question 7

Attitudes and Actions - Contrasting Cultural Ideologies in the Middle East - Economic tensions in the Middle East

Answer 7

Economically – Middle East is a major oil supplier from countries such as Saudi and the UAE – the rise of ISIS in Iraq since the invasion of Allied forces has focused Western interests on defending the country’s oil reserves

Question 8

Attitudes and Actions - Contrasting Cultural Ideologies in the Middle East - Economic tensions in the Middle East

Answer 8

Economically – Middle East is a major oil supplier from countries such as Saudi and the UAE – the rise of ISIS in Iraq since the invasion of Allied forces has focused Western interests on defending the country’s oil reserves

Question 9

Attitudes and Actions - Contrasting Cultural Ideologies in the Middle East - Cultural tensions in the Middle East

Answer 9

Culturally, countries of the Middle East have historical tribal or religious divisions EG between Shia Iran and Sunni Iran – these include tensions caused by Islamic uprisings in countries such as Syria and Iraq

Question 10

Attitudes and Actions - Contrasting Cultural Ideologies in the Middle East - Environmental tensions in the Middle East

Answer 10

Environmentally, past conflicts have often resulted in economic damage to oil installations, particularly in Kuwait and Iraq