Superpowers EQ3 Flashcards
Explain the treaty situation in the Arctic?
The Arctic is mostly ocean, and no specific treaty exists—UNCLOS offers limited protection to the enviroment.
What is the Willow project?
The US has recently approved the Willow project in the north of Alaska
This will allow drilling for an estimated 600 million barrels of oil
Why are there tensions in the Arctic?
Ice sheet melting means accessibiltiy for both trade and drilling easier.
Essentially, the arctic holds significant amounts of the worlds undiscovered resources.
What are intellectual property rights
(they fall into two categories)
IPRs are the rights people or companies have over their creations and fall into two categories:
- Industrial property - inventions, trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications of origin
- Copyright - literary and artistic works, radio and television programmes, performances
Why is protection of new inventions important?
Protection of new inventions is important because without it:
- Companies/countries would not spend money on R&D if it was simply going to benefit other companies/countries
- It would reduce trade as companies would not want to share new inventions with other countries as it would risk the idea being stolen
What undermines IPR?
Counterfiets and pirating - 1.7T has been lost to this market.
What is a sphere of influence?
The sphere of influence is the area over which a country feels it has influence outside its own borders
Explain the South China Sea?
One of the most contested ocean regions in the world
- There are a number of islands in the South China Sea which are claimed by different nations including China and the Philippines
The area is essential for trade as it forms the link between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, it is estimated that each year:
- Over 30% of global trade passes through the South China Sea
- Over 12% of the fish caught each year across the globe are caught in the region
What are the Spratly Islands?
Contested by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam
China has embarked on building islands to increase their presence in the area
What is the string of pearls theory?
A geopolitical theory suggesting that China is building a network of military and commercial facilities (“pearls”) along its sea trade routes from mainland China to the Middle East and Africa.
What is the Nine-Dash Line
A vague boundary line used by China to claim most of the South China Sea, shown with nine dashes on Chinese maps.
Covers about 90% of the South China Sea.
What is the One Belt One Road Project?
The OBOR is a iniative from China where they are investing billions into Africa and Asia - often in the form of infrastructure. They are trying to take leadership in global trade and investment and making themselves they key player in the world.
The One Belt One Road initiative involves over 150 countries, with China investing more than $4 trillion in infrastructure projects worldwide.
Explain the rising economic importance of Asian countries
China and India have the biggest populations and some of the biggest economies - with initaitves such as the BRI they are growing and quick
40% of world poopulation,
Relations between China / India?
Border / Geopolitical tensions but economic partership is strong
Why are tensions high in the middle east?
80% of the proven oil reserves are in the region
Religious differences
Historical conflicts.
What triggered the global debt crisis of 2007-2008?
The crisis started in the US with sub-prime lending, where banks lent to people with poor credit histories.
How did the global debt crisis spread?
It spread rapidly as many countries were dependent on the US as a trade partner.
Where has a lot of military spending been in recent years?
Nuclear - There are currently nine nuclear powers
Air - Much of the recent military focus has been on air power rather than naval power due to the speed of response
Secret Service - In an age of terrorism, secret services have risen massively.
