Superpowers EQ3

Question 1

How can global influence be contested?

Answer 1

Conflict over physical resources or over exploitation of shared resources (the Artic)
Counterfeit goods breaking IP rules, strain trade and TNC relationships.
Tensions over territory (South China Sea)

Question 2

Why is there conflict over the Arctic?

Answer 2

30% of global undiscovered natural gas supply
13% of global oil supply.
Provides an opportunity for a northern trade route, greater potential as ice caps melt.
Many countries believe they have a historical claim or can prove that their continental plate extended into this area.

Question 3

Who is involved in the Arctic Tension?

Answer 3

Canada, Denmark, USA, Russia and Norway own land near the unclaimed area.
Arctic council established in 1996 brings together countries with neighbouring territories and indigenous groups to make decisions about the area.
Countries such as China and the UK are becoming involved for military and resource gain.

Question 4

Conflict examples in the Arctic

Answer 4

2007 Russia used a scientific submarine mission to place a Russian flag on the Arctic seabed.
Canada has invested $3.5 billion in Arctic defence
Environmental protestors Greenpeace intervene campaign to prevent biodiversity loss and stop fossil fuel usage in line with The Paris agreement.
Russia has upgraded Artic forces and reopened Soviet Arctic bases.

Question 5

Problems with counterfeit goods

Answer 5

Damages international relationships and trade.
Damages TNC reputation, less revenue, less likely to create new designs.
Counterfeit medicines or mechanical parts especially pose a safety risk.

Question 6

Counterfeit goods statistics.

Answer 6

Worth 2.5% of global imports.
EU 5% of imports are fake.
China produces 60% of global counterfeit goods including Land Wind Car and Hi Phone electronics.
USA imports 20% of counterfeit goods.

Question 7

What is the Falklands conflict?

Answer 7

Falklands is owned by Britain, with a British Military base there.
Argentina invaded and annexed the area in April 1982.
Margaret Thatcher retaliated sending over 100 ships
255 British troops and 650 Argentinian troops were killed.
Britain and Argentina still conflict over sovereignity.

Question 8

Why does Russia conflict with Ukraine?

Answer 8

Ukraine use to be part of the USSR’s influence before its collapse in 1991.
Other former states of the USSR have started to make alliances with NATO and the EU.
Russia and rebels within Ukraine wanted to maintain a hold over their power in Eastern Europe and prevent Ukraine from joining the EU so annexed Crimea (in Ukraine) in 2014.
Conflict is continued today over occupied territory.
10,000 people have been killed and 1.5million people displaced in Ukraine.

Question 9

International roles in the Russia Ukraine conflict.

Answer 9

President Biden (USA) has pledged unwavering support for Ukraine, given over £3 billion in support since Ukraine's independence
Japan supports Russia as they hope to become allies and gain support over their claim on the South China Sea.

Question 10

What is the South China Sea Conflict?

Answer 10

Conflict over who owns a collection of islands in the South China Sea, these islands are important for controlling trade routes and give a military advantage.
30% of international trade.
10% of the world fisheries and 11 billion barrels of oil

Question 11

What are China doing in the South China Sea?

Answer 11

Building on islands or adding sediment to create islands to home military bases extending their claim over the South China Sea.
Use the cabbage strategy to gradually surround and claim islands belonging to other countries.
China claims it owns 90% of the South China sea due to the historical 9 dash line drawn after Japan lost control of its territory at the end of ww2 and China stepped up.

Question 12

What is the Law of the Sea?

Answer 12

A country has sovereignty over resources and lines within 200 miles of their coastlines, this area is known as their EEZ.

Question 13

What are the recent conflicts over the South China Sea?

Answer 13

1974 China seized the Parcel islands from Vietnam killing 70 Vietnamese troops.
2013 the Philippines got a UN ruling to claim islands within their EEZ, China has ignored this verdict.
USA is becoming involved due to their alliance with Japan which allowed USA military bases to remain in Japan in return for protection in a conflict, also concerned about USA trade routes.

Question 14

What are implication of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia?

Answer 14

Crimea’s population are victims of war, potential humanitarian crisis.
Poor quality of life and high levels of discontent.
Civilians have lost their freedom of movement.

Question 15

What are the implications of conflict in the South China Sea for people and the environment?

Answer 15

Accessing and drilling oil may cause pollution and oil spills damaging marine wildlife.
Philipines islands are suffering a food shortage due to China’s cabbage strategy.
Fishing rights are unclear, the potential for rural families to lose rights and suffer poverty and food shortages in communities.
Disruption to the free movement of trade and people across the Sea.

Question 16

Why is China investing in Africa?

Answer 16

Opportunity for neo-colonial power and soft power.
Needs access to natural resources and a growing market for manufactured goods exports to continue economic growth.
Potential links to Franks Dependency thoery.

Question 17

What has China done in Africa?

Answer 17

Have invested over $100 million in Nigeria, Sudan and South America.
China is now Africas biggest trade partner, trade valuing over $160 billion in 2015.

Question 18

What is the BRICS new development bank?

Answer 18

EStablished in 2015 by BRIC countries aiming to provide sustainable funding for infrastructure and development.
Equal share of power, no veto
Represents the shift in the global power of governance.
Has loaned $10.2 billion with good international credit ratings and environmental status.

Question 19

What are the opportunities from China’s investment in Africa?

Answer 19

Since 2000 17 major HEP projects have been funded by China aiding Africa’s development and adding nearly 7000 MW of energy to the continent by 2013.
Chinese tech company Hisense African employs 90% African staff.
China gains soft power as African children learn Mandarin dialect and Chinese values.

Question 20

What are the challenges from China’s investment in Africa?

Answer 20

Chinese imports of tropical timber from Africa have been linked to widespread illegal deforestation in Mozambique.
Chinese manufacturing firms have replaced African ones.
Oil spills linked to Chinese funded projects have been reported in Sudan and Angola.
Extraction of metallic ore in the Congo has lead to widespread deforestation and river pollution.

Question 21

What are future predictions for Asia?

Answer 21

By 2050 Asia will be the worlds most populous continent (twice the size of North America) and will have the worlds largest GDP.

Question 22

What is China’s one belt one road initiative?

Answer 22

Chinese strategy to improve trade routes and interconnectivity between itself in central Asia, Eurasia and Artica.
Based on an expansion of the original silk road.
The belt stretching across the continent connecting Bejing to Turkey.
The road being shipping routes and ports connecting China to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Iraq and Somalia.

Question 23

Growing Tension between China and Taiwan.

Answer 23

In 1949 the Chinese civil war ended.
The communist peoples republic had won forcing the Republic of China (the opposing government) to retreat to Taiwan.
No peace treaty was ever signed,
Both governments believe they are the rightful ruler of China.
October 2021, Chinese jets flew over Taiwan’s air space and across the median line, Taiwan conflict rises.

Question 24

Growing Tensions between Japan and China

Answer 24

Conflicts originate from the end of WW2
The threat of USA troops in Japan during China’s civil war, fear they might act against communist movements.
Japan received heavy USA investment at the end of the war and adapted a capitalist westernised economic recovery. China is communist.

Question 25

Reasons why India may overtake China.

Answer 25

HIgher GDP growth (7.5%)
Better diplomatic relationships with surrounding countries, e.g are Afghanistan’s biggest aid donors.
Indian Ocean is a key trade route.

Question 26

Reasons why India is not a threat to China.

Answer 26

Poor education with very low literacy rates, only 80% of women go to primary school.
Sexual equality is poor in India, with high profile rapes and sexist behaviour portraying India in a negative light in the developed world.
Large ethnic and social divides within the country, religious tensions and the caste system causes political unrest.

Question 27

What are the negatives of China’s One Belt One Road policy?

Answer 27

Fear of debt-trap diplomacy giving China power over lender countries who have been lent money to build infrastructure, 8 countries at risk of serious debt.
Used by China to gain influence inside other countries, the Chinese government was given 99 years control over the Sri Lankan port after the government was unable to repay their debt to China.
Western fears of Chinese economic imperialism and using the route to expand their military,

Question 28

What are the main reasons for tension in the middle east?

Answer 28

Religion - Muslim Sunni and Shia sects are in conflict with each other, different religions such as Judaism and Christianity also add to the conflict in Jerusalem.
Oil and Gas -65% of the worlds crude oil originates in this region, conflict over ownership as it is a wealthy resource.
Governance- many of the countries are relatively new states so diplomacy is weak or non-existing.

Question 29

Terrorist groups in the middle east.

Answer 29

Islamic state - uses brutal tactics, over 30,000 fighters, aims to create a caliphate (Islamic controlled) state, responsible for the Manchester arena terror attack.
Boko Haram - aims to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state, mass hostage-takings. In 2014 they abducted 276 Nigerian school girls over 100 have not been returned.
The Taliban - has been fighting against the USA backed government in Afghanistan, took control of the country in August 2021, moat UK and US officials fled.

Question 30

What is the Arab Spring?

Answer 30

Demonstrations in December 2010 due to widespread discontent at economic hardship, autocratic rule and corruption.
300 people were killed
Tunisian president forced to resign and go into exile.
Demonstrations followed in Egypt and Turkey.

Question 31

Turkey conflict

Answer 31

Turkey if fighting a civil war against the Kurds who want their own Kurdish state.
Complicated as Kurds are fighting against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Turkey supports the Kurds here as a member of NATO

Question 32

Afghanistan Conflict.

Answer 32

Unstable since the soviet invasion in 1979.

Viewed suspiciously by USA and allies for hiding the Taliban militant group responsible for the ISIS attacks.

Question 33

USA conflict in Israel.

Answer 33

USA supports Israel with funding and has used its veto in the UN to prevent action against Israel.
Many middle easter countries disagree with this and support Pakistan.

Question 34

What are the economic problems facing pre-existing superpowers?

Answer 34

Debt
Unemployment
Economic restructuring
social costs
Priority over military spending.

Question 35

What caused the debt crisis?

Answer 35

Banks started lending money to risky lenders and hide this debt in safe lender.
When risky lenders were unable to repay their debt banks lost lots of money and needed to be bailed out by governments.
Public concern made problems worse as people started to pull their money out of banks in large amounts and very quickly.

Question 36

Results of the debt crisis.

Answer 36

Led to austerity - cuts on public services.
Discontent towards bankers and wealthy who were still given large wages and Christmas bonuses.
One of the sparks behind the London Riots in 2011.

Question 37

What is the US military budget?

Answer 37

US sepnds $580bn on miltary bases
Has 800 military bases (the rest of the world has 30 combined)
Keeping bases open costs 70 to 100bn from tax payers.

Question 38

Main problems in the USA.

Answer 38

SOCIAL- health spending costs 17% of USA GDP, conflict due to high prices of private healthcare, 30% of the population are obese.
POLITICAL - strained race relations directed at the government, George Floyd protests in 2020.
ECONOMIC- US Debt reached $19 trillion, problem softened as the US currency dollar is stable in the stock exchange due to global presence.

Question 39

Main problems in the EU

Answer 39

SOCIO/ECO - EUs workforce will drop by 14% by 2030 with a rapidly ageing population, costs will increase for tax payers in order for the government to afford benefits and pension costs.
POLITICAL - tensions between members, UK vote to leave in 2016, a conflict between unionists and separatists.
RESOURCES - energy insecure as it relies on imports of oil and gas mainly from Russia, with who they are experiencing a strained relationship.

Question 40

What are the possible outcomes for the future balance of global power?

Answer 40

Unipolar - US Hegemony or Asian Century.
Multi-polar - regional mosaic.
Bipolar - the new cold war between China and the USA.
Think about the outcomes on resources, military, economy and society.