Topic 8 - EQ4 - Health, Human Rights, and Intervention Flashcards
What are some ways to measures human development (post-intervention?
-Life expectancy
-Provision of healthcare (doctors per 100,000)
-Literacy rate (% of population)
-Per capita GDP or GNI
-% with access to safe water and sanitation
What are some ways to measure human rights (post-intervention)?
-Freedom of speech (human freedom index?)
-Gender equality (gender index?)
-Democratic elections
-Respect for minority groups
-Recognition of refugee status and asylum seekers
Why is it much easier to measure progress in human development in comparison to progress in human rights following a geopolitical intervention?
Human development is much easier to quantify (life expectancy is an undisputed number, literacy rate is a stat…) than human rights which are often measured using softer indicators (how do you quantify how democratic a country is? how do you quantify the treatment of refugees? how do you quantify or compare free speech?).
Why is it important to attempt to measure the success of geopolitical interventions?
Geopolitical interventions are expensive and politically sensitive so it is important for different bodies to prove the success of different projects.
Measuring success demonstrates accountability to the tax payer or financiers,
Measuring success can help highlight effective measures and where improvement may be needed.
What are 4 difficulties in measuring the success of geopolitical interventions?
- Disagreement on what actually is success (China, USA and local people may all have completely different ideas)
- Some countries do not have the facilities to collect or monitor data to measure success (especially if violence breaks out)
- Many developments span over a long period of time and therefore are subject to circumstance change (e.g. MGDs)
- Data collected can be interpreted differently by different people
Has foreign intervention in Kyrgyzstan in the 2010s been economically and socially successful?
Not economically successful = negative change in GDP per capita
Socially successful = decreased child mortality, more primary education completion and more gender equality
Has foreign intervention in Ethiopia in the 2010s been economically and socially successful?
Economically successful = positive change in GDP per capita
Socially successful = decreased child mortality, more primary education completion, though marginally less gender equality+0.011 GII change
What is often a key goal for western geopolitical intervention?
The promotion of democracy and freedom for all in a country (e.g. minority groups). Was used to justify 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Why do many nations stress the importance of the promotion of democracy? (4 specific reasons)
It is believed that democratic institutions are building blocks for more secure and economically prosperous societies.
-A move from dictatorship to democracy can lead to economic growth and the advancement of women’s rights and wellbeing.
-It allows political and social stability meaning the countries are less likely to support militant groups
-It is easier for developed countries to create economic and military ties with democratic governments.
-Democratic countries are less likely to go to war (people don’t want it and govt held accountable;e)
Why is democracy a useful measure of success post-intervention?
The stability and growth often brought by democracy makes it a useful measure of success for IGOs and some governments, particularly following an intervention.
If an intervention results in the movement towards a stable democracy then it can often be seen as beneficial, whereas, if it does not or creates a power vacuum (e.g. Libya) then it is often seen as a failure by most Liberal Democracies and their IGOs.
How else can democracy be promoted, other than through intervention (hint = £)?
Democracy aid.
Nearly all western goats now give democracy aid. In the late 80s, less than 1bn USD was spent on democracy aid yearly, now it is over 10bn.
What does democracy aid tend to focus on?
-Supporting crucial processes and democratic institutions, e.g. free and fair elections, the development of political parties, limiting the term of office of a country’s leader
-Strengthening and reforming government institutions, e.g. parliament and the judiciary
-Supporting civil society, e.g. freedom of expression, defending civil and political rights
What is the relationship between ‘wealth’, ‘democracy’ and ‘ improved governnace’
Wealth + Democracy = Improved governance
While IGOs and Western Governments favour democracy, often developing countries receiving geopolitical interventions favour what instead (this is their chief measure of success)?
Economic growth. They use this as their chief measure of success (not democracy).
Why is economic growth post-intervention important for countries?
An improvement in the economy will gain resources to improve infrastructure, health, education and environmental protections.
How is ‘aid for trade’ beneficial for both the donor and recipient country?
Recipient - improvement in the economy from aid will gain resources to improve infrastructure, health, education and environmental protections.
Donor countries - a prosperous country often becomes a beneficial trading partner.
What is aid for trade?
Aid given to a recipient country to allow them to develop skills, knowledge and infrastructure for economic growth in return increased global trade.
Which IGO supported better aid for trade in 2005? What did they say
WTO. It has encouraged countries to focus on developing trade strategies, negotiate better trade deals and build important infrastructure such as roads, ports and communication systems.
What evidence is there to show China has favoured economic growth over human rights?
China has seen economic liberalisation without social liberalisation or democratisation.
There is an argument that without the authoritarian government in China, that economic progress would not have been achieved. However, many Chinese people have seemed to accept the lack of human rights, such as restrictions to civil liberties, internment of Uighur Muslims into camps and detention of activists/dissidents, due to the increased wealth brought by government policy.
The CCP continues to control economic policy, ethnic relations, domestic security and even the internet.
