Superpowers EQ2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What influence does superpowers have globally?

A
  • influence over the global economic system (free trade and capitalism) through IGOs
  • TNCs via technology (patents) and trade patterns
  • global culture ‘westernisation’
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2
Q

How does superpowers influence the global economy?

A

Superpowers influence the global economy through control over IGOs (world bank, IMF, WTO and WEF). They are
- capitalist
- dominated by private enterprise

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3
Q

Why do superpowers have a disproportionation influence over global economy?

A
  • control over IGOs
  • dominated by private enterprises
  • promote and benefit form free trade (no tariffs and quotas)
    E.g. The USA, EU and Japan accounted for 60%of worlds GDP in 2016
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4
Q

What is free market capitalism?

A
  • private ownership of property
  • private ownership of businesses
  • the right to make and accumulate unlimited profits
  • buying and selling of goods and services in a competitive free markets with limited restrictions
    E.g. USA, Canada, Western Europe
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5
Q

What is a centrally planned economy?

A
  • government ownership of property and land
  • state owned businesses and wages decided centrally
  • profits taken by government to provide services
  • prices of good and services controlled by the government
    E.g. USSR, China snd Cuba
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6
Q

What are inter-governmental organisations (IGOs)?

A

Regional or global organisation whose members are nation states. They uphold treaties and international law as well as allowing cooperation in issues such as trade, economic policy and human rights.

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7
Q

What is the role of the World Bank?

A

They make development loans to developing countries, but with a ‘free market model’ promoting free trade, industrialisation and private businesses. Money lend by developed countries tend to benefit TNCs.

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8
Q

What is the role of International Monetary Fund?

A

They promote global economic security and stability and aid countries in opening up to the world of trade and investment. Resulting in larger markets for TNCs.

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9
Q

What is the role of the World Economic Forum?

A

This is a Swiss no profit that promotes globalisation and free trade via annual meetings. Bringing together global business and political elites.

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10
Q

What is the role of the World Trade organisation?

A

They regulate global trade, they work to remove barriers to international trade and reduce protectionism.

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11
Q

What are state-led TNCs?

A

These are TNCs owned by governments. They are normally found in communist command economies and tend to be strategic industry such as banking, oil and gas.
E.g. Bank of China and Petronas (Malaysia)
4 of the top 20 TNCs are Chinese States owned TNCs.

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12
Q

What are public owned TNCs?

A

These are TNCs owned by private shareholders. Found in capitalist, free market economies with the shareholders receiving all annual profit. E.g. Apple, Tesco and Shell
Largest TNC is Walmart with a revenue of more than $485 billion in 2015. (Public owned)

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13
Q

How do TNCs influence the global economy?

A
  • technology (patents)
  • trade patterns
  • cultural impact
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14
Q

What does TNCs influence fade patterns?

A
  • there large economic power massively influences trade patterns through their individual exports. They therefor determine the location of areas of growth through FDI
  • partially responsible for the global shift of industry causing economic decline in developed areas and economic progress in developing nations.
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15
Q

How does TNCs influence innovation and technology?

A

they invest their large profits heavily in new technology and patents. Earning them more money through new products and royalties paid by other companies to use their patents.
E.g. 90% of global patent royalties are paid to EU, US and Japan countries

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16
Q

What are patents?

A

A patent is legal protection given to new inventions. Other companies can use it but will have to pay a royalty fee. WTO enforces intellectual property rights.

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17
Q

How does TNCs influence the global culture?

A

TNCs brings cultural influence to the counties the export and manufacture in. Due to the majority of TNCs originating form the West (America), the cultural diffusion from these American led TNCs has caused ‘Westernisation’ and consequently a global culture.
C > UK has 6 times as many curry restaurants as McDonald’s. And company’s stills take part in localism.

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18
Q

What is ‘westernisation’?

A
  • culture of consumerism
  • cultural of capitalism
  • English as dominant language
  • free rights (gender and rel go is equality)
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19
Q

How is Westernisation spread?

A
  • media
  • TNCs manufacturing and exports
  • films, music and TVs
    Massively involved in hegemony.
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20
Q

Why do TNCs have such economic power?

A
  • dominate global economy (largest 200 TNCs produce 25 % of global output)
  • account for 80% of global trade
  • exempt political power by using their profits to lobby governments
  • links closely with dependency theory.
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21
Q

What is culture?

A

A system of shared beliefs, values and traditions. Includes behaviour, dress, art, religion, language and food.

22
Q

How does TNCs use hard and soft power?

A

Cultural influence is soft power through the spread of ideology’s and ideas aiding hegemony. TNC creation of new technologies helps maintain military superiority for hard power.

23
Q

What is the role of a global ‘police’?

A

Superpowers should have the ability to act globally, and be a countries that weaker developing nations look for help in times of crisis it includes
- intervening in war and conflict
- taking action in terms of crisis response (natural disaster, famine or disease)
- responding to terrorism (ISIS)
- responding to long term threats (climate change)

24
Q

Who is the main global police force?

A

The USA can be deemed a global police force, followed to a lesser extend by the EU. It’s as heavy responsibility and also has huge economic costs.

25
Q

What are examples of superpowers acting a a global police force?

A
  • 2010 Haiti earthquake. The USA used its naval and Air Force asserts to respond to the disaster with medical, food and infrastructure aid.
  • since 2001 USA has led a global effort against Islamic terrorism in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan ect
26
Q

What is the security council?

A

The security council is the primary global mechanism for maintaining international peace and security. It has 5 permanent member states (UK, USA, China, Russia and France).

27
Q

How does the security council maintain international law?

A
  • applying sanctions
  • authorising use of military force against a country
  • authorising UN peace keeping force (troops occur a country or region under the UN flag)
28
Q

What are the imperfection of the security council?

A
  • any one of the five permanent members can veto a decision, preventing it happening
  • USA, UK and France tend to vote as ‘one’ and China and Russia leading to a deadlock
  • they are criticised by being accusing condemning countries actions but doing nothing to prevent it happening
29
Q

How has the US acted as a global police force?

A

US has integrated military in foreign countries by
- combining with the UN Security Council action
- together with allied countries
- unilaterally (by themselves)

30
Q

What are the advantages of having ‘allies’?

A

Having allies with like minded ideology’s can add to a superpowers strength
- they can act as ‘eye and ears’ is dis at parts of the world
- increase network of military assets around the world
- political and economic allies can form lager blocs to force their agenda on the world.

31
Q

What are military alliances?

A

Military alliances are treaties that usually involve mutual defences. Allowing countries to have powerful air and naval assets around the world.

32
Q

What are examples of military alliances?

A

NATO > 28 members. Combined they have 14 airforce bases, and USA has its 6th fleet located in Italy. And collectively account for most of the worlds nuclear weapons. Also have a mutual defence agreement meaning if an a country is threatens all the other members will come to its aid.
ANZUS > USA, Australia and New Zealand. They have mutual defence pacts with Japan, South Korea and Philippines
- USA has naval and air force bases spread globally giving the USA try global reach.

33
Q

What are economic allies?

A

Superpower are normally tied with economic alliances. This is achieved by free trade agreements between countries in goods and services. Combined with military alliances it creates a powerful axis of economic and military security.

34
Q

What are examples of economic allies?

A
  • EU between 28 member states
  • NAFTA (North American free trade agreement) between the USA, Mexico and Canada
  • ASEAN (between 10 south East Asian countries)
35
Q

How does free trade agreements encourage interdependence?

A
  • free imports/exports means that TNCs can operate as a truly international entity, moving physical, human and financial resources analysers within the bloc
  • workers can easily move between countries
  • revenues and profits are the highest when economic health of the wholes trade bloc is good.
  • often economic alliances countries are also military aligned.
36
Q

What is the United Nations?

A

The United Nations was set up in 1945 with other IGOs, it was part of an attempt to create a new role of peace and prosperity after WW2.

37
Q

What does the UN make decisions about?

A
  • taking military actions against countries seen to be breaking international law or human rights violations
  • applying economic or diplomatic sanctions to counties to force them to change their behaviour
38
Q

What is the international country of justice?

A

They uphold international laws.
C > it’s legal framework is western and doesn’t include other ideologies such as Shaira law. Reflects that fact it was set up by USA and European powers.

39
Q

What is UNFCCC?

A

The UN Framework Convention on climate change. It’s scientific advisory panel on climate change is important in informing the debate on global warming, and thus international agreements such as COP21 (Paris 2015) pledge to cite carbon emissions.

40
Q

What is the downfall of the UN?

A

The UN was created by US and European powers reflecting western attitudes to trade, capitalism, political freedom and the environment. They then may not reflect the attitudes of emerging powers such as China or Russia creating conflicts.

41
Q

Why do superpowers account for a disproportionate amount of environmental degradation?

A

Superpowers have a very large resource footprints as in order to maintain a large economy, successful military with global reach and growing populations they require huge amounts of energy, minerals, land and water resources.
E.g. China accounts for half of the worlds coal consumption which has fuelled their rapid industrialisation.

42
Q

How does the high resource consumption of superpowers led to environmental issues?

A
  • low urban air quality in emerging cities due to coals burning, increasing car use. E.g. air quality is Beijing snd Mumbai regularly exceeds WHO safe limits.
  • demand for fossil fuels, minerals ect accounts for most of the world CO2 emissions through shipping/transport.
  • deforestation and land degradation due to converting more land into farmland and cash cropping.
43
Q

What are the global percentage carbon emissions in 2015?

A

China 29%
USA 14%
EU 10%
India 7%
Russia 5%

44
Q

Why is their divided attitudes towards environmental issues?

A
  • EU willing to act to reduce global warming threat, but is less true for the USA and even less so for emerging powers.
  • some countries want to prioritise economic development over environmental protection
  • US still has huge amounts of ‘global warming scepticism)
45
Q

What are the arguments for emerging powers to defend rising emissions?

A
  • they should be able to industrialise and develop the same way EU, US and Japan did
  • China is only accountable for 9% of total historical carbon emissions with the US accountable for 28.8%
46
Q

How are some countries showing positive attitudes towards environmental governance?

A
  • Brazil has drastically slowed forest loss and expanded protected areas since 2005
  • China has become the worlds biggest investors in renewable wind and solar power and has cut back in coal burning.
  • COP21 2015 counties agreed to reduce emissions now and China after 2030.
47
Q

Why has there been an increased pressure in resources?

A
  • increasing population (India, Brazil and China)
  • increasing wealth, and growing middle class (expected to increase form 2 billion in 2012 to 5 billion by 2030)
48
Q

What is the ‘middle class’?

A

The middle class is defined at the people with discretionary income, spending the extra income of consumer goods and holidays. Annual income over $10,000. This puts massive strain on global resources.

49
Q

What resources will be put under pressure due to the growing middle class?

A
  • rare earth minerals (widely used in electronic, medial and laser devices)
  • food (increased demand for meat, diary and sugar with a transition to western diets)
  • oil
  • water (washing machines, dishwashers and swimming pool increase)
50
Q

What consequences will increased demands have?

A
  • increase the price of key resources (demand increased)
  • availability of resources especially non renewable ones.
  • degradation of the physics environment (raw materials, carbon emissions, landfill sites and water/air pollution.
51
Q

Main case study details of rising consumer society?

A
  • 2015 USA used 19 million barrels of oil per day, China 12 million and Indian 4 million
  • China now has 1 billion cars in its roads
  • 180 million tonnes of meat consumed each year (80 % of global production)