contemporary issues

CRITICAL INTRO:

WHAT WERE SOME KEY TRAITS/COMMONALITIES AMONG THE “POWERFUL WOMEN OF THE 20TH CENTURY”? KEY DIFFERENCE?

Powerful Women of the 20th Century

Golda MeirWhere: IsraelWhen: 1969-74

Impact: Prime Minister of Israel (1st female)- Known as “Iron Lady” of Israeli politics- Led Israel to victory in Yom Kippur War

- Rapid mobilization led to victory over Egyptians and Syrians

- Sought support of United States- Fostered long-standing

relationship between Israel and U.S.

Margaret ThatcherWhere: Great BritainWhen: 1979-90First female Prime Minister of Great Britain

Impact: - Expanded free trade - Less gov’t regulation of business- Helped increase British prosperity- Nicknamed the “Iron Lady” because of

her staunch opposition to the Soviet Union & communism.

- Led Britain successfully in Falklands War

Indira GandhiWhere: IndiaWhen: 1966 -1984Prime Minister of India (1st female)

Impact: - Closer relationship between India and Soviet Union during the Cold War;- Developed nuclear program- Developed space program- Defeated Pakistan to become main power in region- Ruled autocratically

Analysis: What were common characteristics between these three leaders.

CRITICAL INTRO:

Was the Green Revolution and its legacy more positive or negative? Defend with specific reasons.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization.

By the early 21st century, the unfolding of “globalization”: - the increasing interconnectedness of all world parts

Close of Cold War

Lessening of international

conflict

Movement to free markets

New tech. devs.=

computer/internet

General acceptance of

global connections

Globalization

Lingering/persisting

nationalism

An important religious surge

terrorism

Underdevelopment;

Econ, tech, indust.

Complicating factors to

Globalization

World Cup Soccer

INDUSTRIAL (DEVELOPED) NATIONS

Industrial (Developed Nations) - Characteristics

1. high literacy rate: 80% and higher2. high per capita GDP: $16000 and more3. life expectancy: 74 years and more4. good health care5. strong infrastructure6. rapid telecommunications7. strong education system8 . more urban than rural population9. low population growth10. low birth rate, infant mortality rate, and death rate

Economic Development1. Gross National Product (GNP) – total value

of goods and services produced by a country both within and outside the country

2. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – total value of goods and services produced only within a country’s borders

3. Per Capita GDP – GDP divided by the total number of citizens

Environmental Challenges1.Pollution

2. rapid population growth leads to a loss of wildlife habitat

3.ozone depletion

4.acid rain in Europe and North America

5. nuclear power plants can leak radiation

Environmental Pollution

Acid Rain

Nuclear Power Plant

DEVELOPING NATIONS AND UNDEVELOPED NATIONS

Developing Nations (2nd World Countries)1. mainly primary and secondary industries

2. characteristics: lower than those listed for developed nations, but improving

a. literacy rate; 60-80 percentb. per capita GDP: $1,001-$15,999c. life expectancy; 55-73 years

3. Government and economic systemsa. command economyb. communismc. unstable military and/or dictatorial government

4. the majority of countries today, about 130

Undeveloped Nations (3rd World Countries)1. Characteristics: Lowest than those listed for developing nations; may or may not be improving

a. literacy rate: less than 50 percentb. per capita GDP: less than $1000c. life expectancy: less than 55 years

2. only about 16 countries in the world

Social challenges of Developing Nations1. poverty

a. US $48,000 per person a year (Liechtenstein - $181,000 per person)

b. Zimbabwe’s GDP is about $200 per person a year

2. poor health - AIDS, cholera

3. illiteracy - limits job opportunities which leads to poverty

4. famine - shortage of food (in Africa from 1960s-1980s)

5. migration

Famine

Contrasts between Developed and Developing Nationsp. 163

1. geographic locations of major developed and developing countries

a. developed nations – wealthy nations of western Europe, North America and Asia

b. developing nations – poorer countries of Africa and southern Asia2. developed nations are much more wealthy than developing nations3. developed nations are more literate and have more access to health care4. developed nations experience more population size and rate of growth

Think and DiscussHow does economics impact the stability and quality of life in countries?

Zimbabwe United States

Population 11,350,100 303,825,000

Life Expectancy 44 years 78 years

GDP per capita $200 $48,000

Weekly GDP $4.00 $960

Daily GDP $.80 $192

Unemployment 80% 9.2%

% of Pop w AIDS 14.3% 0.4%

Contrasts between Developed and Developing Nations

Developed v. Developing Nations

Developed v. Developing Nations

Rankings According to Wealth

1. Lichtenstein - $118,000/year2. Qatar – $101,000/year3. Luxembourg – $85,100/year8. United States – $48,000/year192. Burundi- $400/year193. Congo- $300/year194. Zimbabwe - $200/year

Illiteracy

Living With AIDS

TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMY

Impact of New Technologies1. widespread but unequal access to computers and instantaneous communications2. genetic engineering and bioethics - cloning; stem cell research 3. new medical procedures and drugs cure or relieve a variety of illnesses

Think and DiscussWhat do you think have been and will be the consequences of new medical technologies and medicines?

Relationship Between Economic and Political Freedom p. 1631.free market economies produce

rising standards of living and an expanding middle class, which produces demands for political freedoms and individual rights. Recent examples include Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt and Liberia.

2. political freedom helps foster economic development

Economic Interdependence p. 1631. role of rapid transportation, communication

and computer networka. space is used for communication

2. changing role of international boundaries

3. regional integration EU (European Union) – free trade among European countries

4. trade agreements – North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) agreement to work toward a single market without trade barriers in North America

Think and DiscussWhat are the pros and cons of this “Economic Interdependence”?

Economic Interdependence p. 163

5. International organizations – United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank

a. IMF and World Bank make loans to developing nations

6. some critics maintain international corporations (such as Volvo, Nike, Microsoft and Gap) pose a serious threat to the interests of individual nations

a. they choose countries that can provide raw materials and the cheapest labor

Think and DiscussDo today’s multinational corporations resemble any world events/conditions from centuries past?

Transportation

Communication Satellites

Multinational Corporations

European Union

NAFTA

ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS

Europe1. Northern Ireland – major cause

of conflict in Northern Ireland is predominantly Protestant while the Republic of Ireland is predominantly Catholic

2. Balkans – (late 1990s ) fighting among Serbs, Bosnians, Kosovars and Croats in the former Yugoslavia created many refugees in Europe since the 1940s

Think and DiscussCan you think of previous events related to these regions?

Northern Ireland

Balkans

Kosovar Refugees

Africa: Conflict = Refugee Crisis1.Rwanda – constant ethnic fighting between the

Tutsis and the Hutus have created millions of refugees

2.Liberia – experienced an 8-year-long civil war, rebels never were expelled; a new government is trying to rebuild Liberia

3.Sierra Leone – 11-year civil war drove out over 35% of the population and many thousands are dead

Africa p. 1651. Horn of Africa – ongoing conflict in eastern Africa

a. Somalia – civil war broke out in 1991 and there has been no central government since, still in a state of constant civil war; piracy in the Gulf of Aden

b. Ethiopia – series of famines hit in the 1980s leaving over a million dead, constant overthrows of governments

Think and DiscussWhy is civil war so destructive to the creation of stable societies?

Rwanda

Rwandan Refugees

Liberia

Horn of Africa

Liberian Refugees

Migration

Migrations of Refugees and Others1. refugees are an issue in international conflicts2. many small wars have produced some 40 million refugees with nowhere to go3. Causes of Migration and Immigration

a. primary cause is to find work b. displaced from war

Think and DiscussThink “Push” and “Pull” when it comes to reasons of migration. Give an example of each.

TERRORISM

Terrorism p. 165

1. Terrorism – the use of violence and threats to intimidate and coerce for political reasons2. major cause of terrorism is religious extremism3. Methods of terrorism

a. Car bombingsb. Suicide bombingsc. Airline hijackings

Munich Olympics – Palestinian Terrorists Kill Israeli Athletes p. 1671. 1972, 8 Palestinian gunmen burst into a

room at 4:30am, and took 9 Israeli athletes hostage (2 were killed resisting the attack)

2. Their demands included 200 Palestinian prisoners be set free and safe passage out of Munich Germany

3. An unsuccessful rescue attempt was made but failed (12 victims + 5 terrorists killed)

4. The Israeli assassination squad Mossad, tracked down all but one of those connected to planning the Munich attacks.

Palestinian gunman

Israelis killed

World Trade Center (1993)1. A truck bomb exploded in the parking garage below the North Tower of the World Trade Center by Palestinian terrorists2. was hoping to have the North Tower fall into the South Tower3. 6 people were killed

September 11, 2001

1. 4 large commercial jets were hijacked by 19 Muslim terrorists

a. two were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, one was flown into the Pentagon, and the other crashed in rural Pennsylvania2. 2977 people were killed and over 6000 injured3. 4 buildings were completely destroyed, the other 3 had to be demolished

September 11, 2001

4. President Bush announced a War on Terrorism and on Oct. 7, 2011, the US invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban government5. Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda took responsibility for the bombings

a. Bin Laden was shot and killed on May 2, 2011

World Trade Center attack 9/11/2001

Oklahoma City, Apr. 19, 1995

news

Think and DiscussWhy is terrorism so difficult to combat?

Why is it a frequently used method?

Response to Terrorist Activitiesp. 167

1. surveillance2. Dept. of Homeland Security - works in the civilian sphere to protect the United States

a. goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism3. review of privacy rights – Patriot Act – reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records4. security screenings at ports and airports conducted by the TSA5. identification badges and photos

Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism

Think and DiscussIs there a time and place to restrict rights and freedoms in return for national security?

Indira Gandhi - India1.Prime Minister of India for over 15 years (1966–77) and (1980–84)

2.She personally disliked US president Richard Nixon, so she developed a closer relationship with the USSR

3.developed India’s nuclear program in response to the nuclear threat posed by China

4.brought the number of people in India living below the poverty line from 65% to 45%

5.food production increased by 250%6.literacy rose 30%7. assassinated in 1984

1. Elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969- 1974

2. She was described as an “iron lady” of Israeli politics

3. She was described as a "strong-willed, straight-talking, grey-bunned grandmother of the Jewish people”

Golda Meir - Israel

Margaret Thatcher – Great Britain1.first woman prime minister of Britain

(1979-1990)

2. economic policies emphasized government deregulation of businesses and the financial sector

a. less taxes on businesses, more of a laissez-faire attitude

3. was a strong opponent of the USSR and huge supporter of the US and Ronald Reagan

Iron Lady Trailer