Unit 9: Globalization

Question 1

Introduce this unit.

Answer 1

Basically, after WWII, a lot of organizations were formed to secure international security, most likely to lower the likelihood of another world war occurring

Question 2

Who was Saddam Hussein?

Answer 2

Led Iraq at the time of the Persian Gulf War; was a dictator

Question 3

What was the Persian Gulf War?

Answer 3

In which Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 to gain more access to the world’s oil reserves; this would’ve also allowed them to overtake Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which would give them more than half of the world’s oil reserves, so American forces were sent to retrieve Israeli forces in Kuwait

Question 4

In Iraq, sovereignty was returned to a transitional government and a new democratically elected government was formed in May 2005. What happened to Suddam?

Answer 4

Suddam’s government fell to coalition forces and Suddam was captured later, so his dictatorship ended

Question 5

When did the Iraqi government ratify a new constitution in the modern day? What is a notable facet of this constitution?

Answer 5

October 2005; this system allotted percentages of seats to women

Question 6

How is Iraq right now?

Answer 6

Even with the end of U.S. combat operations and the withdrawal of most coalition troops by the end of 2011, Iraq must also still contend with a number of opposing domestic and international interests as it tries to find stability in its new incarnation.

Question 7

What happened during the early 1980s regarding the Soviet Union and the Middle East?

Answer 7

The Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan because a militwry leader named Taraki demanded it (he had led a military coup against the previous government); because many Afghans opposed communism and with support from Western powers, a civil war started as they led guerrilla attacks against the Soviet Union; the Soviet troops eventually withdrawed from the region on Gorbachev’s request, but internal issues in Afghanistan still persisted (especially with the then-power void)

Question 8

What was the Taliban?

Answer 8

An Islamic fundamentalist group that fulled Afghanistan’s power void by capturing the capital of Kabul; there were SEVERE restrictions on women

Question 9

Who was Osama bin Laden?

Answer 9

Leader of the Al Queda

Question 10

What is the Al Queda?

Answer 10

International terrorist network that does not like Saudi Arabia because it allowed U.S. troops to remain in the region; they despise America for three reasons:

• it supports Israel
• it has troops in Saudi Arabia
• is an agent of globalization

Question 11

What happened on September 11, 2001?

Answer 11

Al Queda operatives managed to take control of four American passenger jets and fly two of them into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and one into a field in Pennsylvania

Question 12

How many casualties were there at 9/11?

Answer 12

3,000

Question 13

The United States immediately launched a war on terrorism, targeting Al Qaeda and the Taliban in response to the 9/11 terrorist incident. What happened?

Answer 13

The taliban was removed from power and U.S. and UN forces occupy Afghanistan, but Al Queda continues to reign; its leadership is experiencing struggles since Osama bin Laden passed on May, 2011

Question 14

Are terrorist attacks a problem throughout the Israeli territories? Who are they between?

Answer 14

Yes;
Sunni and Shia factions in Iraq, targeting tourists in the cities of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey, and among Muslim separatists in Russia

Question 15

Who are larger-scale terrorist attacks accredited to?

Answer 15

They are linked to Islamic fundamentalists, who have also attacked Jewish and Christian minorities throughout Europe and the Middle East

Question 16

What is ISIS?

Answer 16

Means Islamic state; broadcasts its terrorist methods via graphic online videos; its goal is to revive a caliphate that unifies the entire Islamic world

Question 17

What is the Boko Haram?

Answer 17

West African version of ISIS

Question 18

When was the alliance between ISIS and the Boko Haram formalized?

Answer 18

2015

Question 19

When was the alliance between ISIS and the Boko Haram formalized?

Answer 19

2015

Question 20

What happened in the 1980s in eastern Asia?

Answer 20

Commercial interdependence intensified in the 1980s as eastern Asia began to flex its industrial and commercial muscles.

Question 21

What is NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)?

Answer 21

Pretty sure this aimed to develop Mexico’s economy, so just remember that the purpose of this organization is towards improving economy

Question 22

What is the European Union?

Answer 22

Started out as the European Economic Community; members of the EU use a single type of currency, the euro; originaly formed in 1957

Question 23

The ease with which goods and ideas are transported. What are the causes and effects of this?

Answer 23

Effect: led to cultures being even more interconnected

Second-degree effect: instataneous access to a wider range of the arts and sciences

Question 24

What did English become?

Answer 24

It became the language of business and communication across the globe

Question 25

How did English become so widespread?

Answer 25

This began in the 18th century with the far-flung colonies of the British Empire and continued with the emergence of the United States as a global power after World War II

Question 26

What’s up with the European Union?

Answer 26

Only started to be hella active when the Soviet Union fell and left the United States as the world’s only superpower

Question 27

What are the three nations of the EU that does not use EU?

Answer 27

UK, Sweden, and Denmark

Question 28

What happened in the (economic) crisis of the late 2000s?

Answer 28

It became clear that stronger economies such as Germany’s had borne the freight of economies in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal; this, of course, ended up being a threat to the Eurozone and has sparked debates on the efficiency of economic integration and questions of sovereignty

Question 29

Explain the threat of McDonaldization/Westernization.

Answer 29

Notice that Western culture has started prevailing in the past century or so with many countries, such as China and India, embracing the fruits of Westernization and ingraining it into their culture; this can also be a threat, however, especially to Muslim fundamentalists who want to protect their traditions

Question 30

Where can globalization be seen?

Answer 30

Can be seen in...
The Olympics (note)
World Cup Soccer
Bollywood (based on Hollywood and locared in Mumbai, India)
Social Media (note)

Question 31

What are special economic zones?

Answer 31

Areas in China exempt from the strict controls of communism; they spread throughout the entire nation to create a juggernaut-like China with normalizaed trade relations with the U.S. and part of the WTO

Question 32

Economic success has also led to a crackdown on Internet freedom in China. Why?

Answer 32

Politically, it is pretty much the same old China.

Question 33

What’s up with India?

Answer 33

India is the world’s largest democracy and one of its fastest-growing economies

Question 34

What happened in 1991 India?

Answer 34

India was broke, its biggest contender for prime minister was assassinated, and it needed an economic reform; they ended up taking a loan from the IMF, the International Monetary Fund

Question 35

What was the desperation of 1991?

Answer 35

(This was around the time technology was being developed in the U.S.), so Indian investors and workers moved to Silicon Valley; some came back to Indian companies to develop technology snd software, which was in demand

Question 36

What are the similarities between India and China?

Answer 36

Economic inequality and poverty within their borders (remember, capitalism can do this because of its promotion of an uneven distribution of wealth);
both have figured out a way to keep growing (It appears that…
For India: making technology
For China: becoming the world’s warehouse and discount store)

Question 37

What is the purpose of the IMF and World Bank?

Answer 37

Purpose is to stabilize world economic relationships and provide loans when needed

Question 38

What is the GATT?

Answer 38

Means the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade but later became the WTO, the World Trade Organization; purpose is to reduce barriers to international trade

Question 39

What is the Group of Six, or G6?

Answer 39

Created in 1972; original members are the Unites States, Great Britain, West Germany, Italy, Japan, and France; in which the world’s nost powerful leaders meet annually to discuss issues of mutual or global concern

Question 40

What is the G7?

Answer 40

Canada joined and later on Russia as well, but Russia was excluded from the group due to its involvement in the 2014 Crimea crisis of Ukraine

Question 41

What is the G20?

Answer 41

The group represents key industrialized and developing economies

Question 42

Most recently, these (environmental) concerns have focused on food. Why?

Answer 42

Cause: suppliers becoming distant with consumers, and trade agreements opening new trade routes that may not follow safety regulations

Question 43

What was the Green Revolution of the 1950s and 1960s?

Answer 43

How to happened: chemical fertilizers and pesticides, biologically engineered foods, more efficient methods of harvesting
Effect: inexpensive and plentiful food supplies, buy destroyed traditional landscapes and decreased biodiversity and marginal lands cannot sustain the population boom they initially foster

Question 44

How are water and oil regarded?

Answer 44

Water is not a rapidly renewable resource and needs to be regulated for drinking; the insatiable appetite for oil reserves on the part of industrialized democracies has led to strange political and economic alliances

Question 45

What is ethanol?

Answer 45

Alternative to oil, but these too have drawbacks

Question 46

What was the Kyoto Protocol?

Answer 46

An attempt to make a global agreement on ways to reduce environmental damage after the 1992 Earth Sunmit on climate change

Question 47

How has the Kyoto Protocol been regarded?

Answer 47

The United States has refused to ratify the Protocol and Canada denounced it in 2011; industrialized nations continue to struggle with balancing potential damage to the environment with the growth potential of their business sector,

Question 48

What is the WHO (World Health Organization)?

Answer 48

Tries to lower infant mortality and combat various diseases (such as malaria, tuberculosis, and influenza) and the spread of viruses

Question 49

What is AIDS?

Answer 49

Is a noteworthy global health crisis; in fact, about 25 percent of adults in South Africa have HIV, the virus that cuasest AIDS; there is no cure, and while there is treatment, only the wealthiest countries have the most advanced treatments

Question 50

What happened in 2014 in terms of health?

Answer 50

A severe outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa received global attention throughout 2014

Question 51

What are the health effects of globalization?

Answer 51

Global health issues highlight the disparities that, despite the ongoing process of globalization, still exist between first-world, industrialized countries and those that are not

Question 52

What happened in the 1970s regarding technology?

Answer 52

Beginning in the 1970s, American companies such as Compaq and IBM developed new hardware; this software allowed computer to shrink dramatically in size (by using a silicon chip to store data)

Question 53

What happened by the late 1980s regarding the internet?

Answer 53

By the late 1980s, an early version of the Internet existed, but this version was only really available to those who had advanced technical knowledge

Question 54

What happened in the 1990s regarding the internet?

Answer 54

Commercial software, such as web browsers and the services and programs offered by America Online, introduced the Internet; this transformed both the home ans the workplace

Question 55

What was the Y2K Scare?

Answer 55

An instance of mass hysteria in which Americans believed that there would be a glitch in computers caused by the switch of dates to the new millennium; it showed how dependent industry and society were on computers and this dependency has only increased in recent years

Question 56

What have social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook done?

Answer 56

They have changed the way we receive news and have even caused political developments in Middle Eastern countries; for instance, during the “Arab Spring” of 2011, oppressive regimes im several nations were toppled in part because of social media exposure of the problems in those countries

Question 57

What are some noteworthy examples of online censorship?

Answer 57

India and China

Question 58

One current concern, however, is the growing gap in internet access between those in developed and those in undeveloped countries. Expand on this.

Answer 58

Some developing countries may not be able to join the “digital revolution” because they lack the infrastructure to do so; this can be an issue especially with the growing importance of the internet

Question 59

The Internet has also raised the important issue of government surveillance and individual privacy. Expand on this.

Answer 59

For instance, in 2013, Edward Snowden had access to classified documents and leaked it to journalists; his revelations unveiled the fact that the U.S. government had been collecting information from all its citizens, not just terrorists and potential ones; this sparked debates and Snowden fled the country but has been charged by the U.S. government for leaking information

Question 60

Cause and effect of globalization.

Answer 60

The integration and global connectedness of the world made access to education and political freedoms far more widespread

Question 61

When did women gain the right to vote in most parts of the world?

Answer 61

In the first quarter of the 20th century

Question 62

How’s the situation with women’s right to vote (suffrage) right now?

Answer 62

Most of the newly independent African countries included women’s suffrage in their constitutions; it is only in the most fundamentalist of the Middle Eastern countries that women still do not have the right to vote;
Of course, having the right to vote is different from having education and the opportunity to vote; in most Asian and African countries, female access to formal political power remains limited

Question 63

What was supposed to happen in communism?

Answer 63

Everyone, men and women, were SUPPOSED to be equal and regarded as such; however, almost all key positions within the Communist parties were and are held by men; and, even with the end of communism and loosening of economic restrictions, opportunities seemed to be more available for men then women

Question 64

Family structure changed dramatically on the 20th century, especially in industrialized countries. How?

Answer 64

Birth rates dropped, birth control was widely available, and marriage rates declined as divorce and second marriages became more common

Question 65

How are women’s rights (overall) today?

Answer 65

By the mid-1980s, education and access in Westernized and industrialized countries allowed women to participate fully in the work force; throughout the world, women’s pay has yet to fully equal that of male counterparts, nor are women compensated for the time they spend on a “second shift” as primary caregivers of young children.

Question 66

How are women’s rights (overall) today?

Answer 66

By the mid-1980s, education and access in Westernized and industrialized countries allowed women to participate fully in the work force; throughout the world, women’s pay has yet to fully equal that of male counterparts, nor are women compensated for the time they spend on a “second shift” as primary caregivers of young children

Question 67

How is nationalism really important?

Answer 67

Nationalism affected all of the major global events in the 20th century

Question 68

What were the ancient forms of globalization?

Answer 68

Centuries ago, trade, conquest, and exploration were forms of globalization

Question 69

What can the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution be regarded as?

Answer 69

Can be categorized as shifts toward globalization because they weren’t culturally specific but rather could be applied nearly anywhere around the globe

Question 70

The Great Depression in the 1930s proved that the economies of most industrialized nations were heavily intertwined. Why is this important?

Answer 70

The fall of stock prices in one will have an instantaneous impact on the stock market of another

Question 71

As more and more countries start to look the same (independent, democratic, constitutional), what can be argued?

Answer 71

It can be strongly argued that there is a convergence of cultures

Question 72

Globalization doesn’t necessarily mean convergence; it just means that everything is spread all around the globe all the time. Why?

Answer 72

People don’t have to accept what’s being hurled at them; Islamic fundamentalist societies surely don’t and countries who are trying hard to maintain a historical cultural identity, like France, also don’t openly embrace globalization

Question 73

What’s another reason as to why globalization may not necessarily mean a convergence of culture?

Answer 73

If self-determination and nationalism mean that a country is going to use its independence to do what every other country does, then why be independent in the first place?; this is also another reason as to they globalization may not necessarily mean convergence because some countries want to express themselves as independent, sovereign nations (they have even fought wars to do so)