Superpowers case studies

Question 1

Availability and cost of key resources

Answer 1

Oil:
- Oil consumption likely to grow up to 2040
- Harder to extract- more expensive methods
- Prices expected to increase
Water:
- Groundwater being 3x faster than replenished in some Indian states
- 2030 60% of areas will face water scarcity
- Droughts in California affect crop production- produces 2/3 of fruits and nuts
- China/Nigeria/Indonesia face water shortages by 2030
Rare Earths:
- China produces 85% of all of them
- Used in high tech goods
- Lots of water, electricity and acid used to produce them
- Contaminates water sources
- Concerns about shortages
Agriculture:
- Rice consumption grown by 50% in Sub-Saharan Africa
- 2008 riots as food prices rise due to growing population- Rice increased by 50%
- Many staples peaked- rice 1988, Chicken 2006- Climate change exacerbates shortages

Question 2

Arctic oil and gas-contested sphere of influence case study

Answer 2

• Contested by many nation states in the area- Artic territorial claims for oil/gas
• 2007 artic Russian submarine planted flag in artic area
• Could have 15% of oil reserves of oil reserves left and 30% of undiscovered natural gas
• All 5 countries looking to claim the artic ‘Contested space’
• Potential to make ever more ‘secure’ is what these countries are looking to do

Question 3

South china sea- sphere of influence

Answer 3

• Main countries involve- Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, and China
• High interests in Exploring continental shelf for crude oil and natural gas
• Distorts Ecosystems-lead to wave patterns changing
• Dredging- destroys ecosystems
• Many people dependant on fishing- increased demand
• Most people are fishers in Philippines- live on the border
• Agricultural use
• 1947- Republic of China Claiming water adjacent
• February 2012 China claims sovereignty over South China sea
• April 2014- Dredging in China
• November 15- code of conduct breach
• June 2016- ASEAN countries adapted due to developments in South China Sea

Question 4

Ukraine/Crimea- Sphere of influence case study

Answer 4

• Key players are Ukraine, NATO, UN, USA and Russia
• Crisis began in the capital city of Kiev against Ukrainian president because he rejected economic integration deal with EU. March 2014 Russian troops took control of Crimea region, violence began in Eastern Ukraine between Russian- backed separatist forces and Ukrainian military
• 20 February 2014- ongoing fighting
• Crisis originally began in November 2013
• USA Placing sanctions on some companies linked to conflict
• NATO, USA and Ukraine had large scale air exercises in the Ukraine
• NATO alliance deployed four battalions to Eastern Europe
• Length of front line is 200 miles- affects the environment
• Damage to industrial enterprise which is responsible for environmental side effects

Question 5

Superpowers and the middle east case study

Answer 5

Cultural Tensions:
- Decline in ottoman empire led to growth of French and British power in the Region-later split up middle East up into spheres of influence
- Tension between middle east and the west- orientalism- Middle east stereotyped and represented in the west- ‘Clash of Values’- Conservative Islam and Western liberalism
- Wide cultural and religious tensions in middle east- Israeli Jews and Iranian Muslims- also Sunni and Shia Muslims
Political tensions:
- Conflict in Syria started when people revolted against Bashar Al-Assad- dictator
- Russia supports the dictator and stepped in with military support to help his regime
- US and West have been backing Syrian rebels who are fighting Assad
- After end of WWII- Jews encouraged to move to Palestine- constant conflict in the region
- US heavily supports Israel, other Arab countries support Palestinians in West bank and Gaza strip
Environmental tensions:
- Growing tensions over supply of water, especially along Jordan River
- Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Palestine dispute over access to the Jordan river
- Water shortages being exacerbated by drought in Middle east
Economic Tensions:
- 65% of worlds crude oil comes from middle east- target for interventions from superpowers keen to secure a stable oil supply
- Oil wealth led to extreme wealth- Saudi Arabia and gulf states- economic problems persist in other parts of middle east
- Region also short of fertile land and other resources- tensions between key players