Global quick notes IIII

Question 1

4

Kantian Triangle of Peace

Answer 1

• Tony Blair, like Gladstone, stressed that human rights are central in a globalized world.

Robin Cook described this as an “ethical foreign policy”.

• The nation-state remains vital despite globalization, shown by:

Donald Trump’s election,

Brexit,

Nationalist leaders: Putin (Russia), Xi Jinping (China), Recep Erdoğan (Turkey).

• Quote: “A conquering army on the border will not be stopped by eloquence.” – Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898)
• Quote: “What is possible for a state depends on its resources, geographic position and determination…” – Henry Kissinger

Question 2

4

Economic Ties (Globalisation)

Answer 2

• Apple would be the 55th richest country in the world—its decisions affect national economies.
• Thomas Friedman: the world is becoming “flatter” – globalisation is levelling the playing field between economies.
• NICs (Newly Industrialised Countries) benefiting from globalisation:

China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, East Asian Tigers.

• Evidence of benefits:

Rising GDP per capita in integrated economies.

Sub-Saharan Africa shows stagnation when refusing integration.

TNCs (e.g., Nike in Vietnam) provide:

Jobs, better wages, training, investment in skills, modern tech.

Alliances with developing world governments.

Trickle-down economics may have failed, but globalists argue poverty still decreases.

Question 3

2

IGOs & Regional Integration

Answer 3

• Treaty of Lisbon (2009):

European Charter of Fundamental Rights now legally binding.

ECB limits fiscal policies of Eurozone states.

Schengen Agreement allows passport-free travel in much of EU.

• Other regional trade groups limiting sovereignty:

Mercosur, USMCA, ASEAN.

China:

Member of:

UNSC (permanent), WTO, G20, Copenhagen climate talks (2009).

Opposes Western interventions in sovereign states (often with Russia).

Question 4

6

Military & Strategic Power

Answer 4

• World’s largest army
• Nuclear capabilities: ICBMs, SLBMs, bombers
• Space power:

Satellite launches

Manned spaceflight

Moon probe (2009)

• Defence budget: ~10% annual growth, now 2nd to US

~2% of GDP

• UN Peacekeeping:

500 troops to Mali (2013), including combat units

• Anti-US strategy:

Anti-satellite missile test (2007)

Jamming tech, cyber-espionage (massive scale)

Termed “asymmetric superpower” – Mark Leonard

Challenge to US dominance in Asia (e.g. Taiwan)

Question 4

5

Challenges to the Kantian Triangle / Realist Perspectives

Answer 4

• Global Conflicts and Failed States
  DRC – often called the world’s failed state.
• Somalia (since 1991), Libya (since 2011) – ravaged by civil war and terrorism.
• Ethnic/nationalist conflicts post-Cold War:

Yugoslavia, Georgia, Chechnya.

• Russia opposes NATO expansion, Western influence in Georgia and Ukraine.
• War on Terror after 9/11 triggered new global conflicts.

Question 5

4

US Power Limitations

Answer 5

• After Syria’s 2013 Ghouta massacre, Obama failed to get support for intervention – shows US war fatigue after Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Critics: US “red lines” now lack credibility.
• Defiant small powers:
  Iran, North Korea (nuclear programs).
• Liberals argue “balance of terror” (Cold War MAD) is unstable.

Robert McNamara: “We lucked out” (re: Cuban Missile Crisis).

Disarmament + IGOs preferred for peace.

Question 6

8

China as a Rising Superpower
🏗️ Economic Power

Answer 6

• World’s largest population: 1.34 billion
• Biggest energy user (2010) – IAEA
• Use of steel = 2× USA
  World leader in manufacturing, car and PC production
• Hong Kong = global financial centre
• GDP milestones:

Overtook Germany (2007)

Overtook Japan (2010)

Estimated to overtake US in PPP terms

• PetroChina = world’s largest firm (2009)
• $586 billion stimulus package (2008) – largest in the world
• G20 London Summit (2009) – central player (Obama–Hu Jintao G2)

Question 7

4

Russia’s Limitations

Answer 7

• Economy reliant on energy exports.
• GDP = lowest of BRICs; only ¼ of China’s and less than Brazil’s.
• Lacks soft power; no global ideological appeal unlike USSR.
• Still dependent on Western markets despite pivot to Asia.

Question 7

5

Russia’s Global Power Status
Regional Influence:

Answer 7

• Defends post-Soviet sphere; punished Ukraine in 2006 with gas supply cuts.
• Pro-Russian Ukrainian govt in 2010 received a gas price cut.
• 2008 Georgia war: humiliated Georgia, invaded, and took South Ossetia.
• Crimea annexation (2014) and destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine demonstrates military assertiveness.
• Proposed Eurasian Union to increase regional dominance.

Question 8

5

Structural Power & Global Influence

Answer 8

• UNSC Permanent Member – vetoes Western actions
• WTO member, essential at G20 and climate talks
• 2007: Became largest emitter of greenhouse gases

Copenhagen Conference (2009):

Opposed binding emission targets

Signed Copenhagen Accord with US

• Global resource diplomacy:

Deals with Sudan, Myanmar, Iran, Venezuela

Now Latin America’s 2nd biggest trading partner

• In Africa:

Trade up 10× since 2001

Now Africa’s top trading partner

Strong ties with Sudan, Zimbabwe, Zambia

Question 9

3

Russia’s Global Power Status
Structural Power:

Answer 9

• Inherits USSR’s permanent seat on UNSC.
• Formerly in G8, now part of G20 and BRICS.
• Opposed US-led initiatives:

Rejected 2003 Iraq War UN resolutions.

Blocked action against Syria (2011–13).

In 2013, Putin headed off Obama’s planned Syria strike by brokering a deal for Syria to give up chemical weapons.

Question 10

3

Military and Strategic Capabilities
Nuclear Arsenal: Only comparable stockpile to the US.

Answer 10

• Negotiated New START Treaty (2010) as an equal partner.
• Resumed nuclear bomber patrols.
• Left Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty in response to US missile defence plans.

Question 11

3

Strategic Partnerships:

Answer 11

• Stronger ties with China, e.g., Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
• Joint military exercises.
• Sells weapons/nuclear tech to Syria, Iran.

Question 12

4

China’s International Role and Development

Answer 12

• One-party state; tight control over opposition and information.
• Example: Crackdown after Arab Spring (2011), arrest of Ai WeiWei.
• Angrily rejected awarding of Nobel Peace Prize (2010) to Liu Xiaobo.
• Corruption and inequality rising; middle class dissatisfaction growing.

Urban workforce increasingly restive.

Question 13

4

Assertiveness Rising:

Answer 13

• Largest P5 contributor to UN peacekeeping (e.g., 500 troops to Mali in 2013).
• 2007 anti-satellite missile test; investment in cyber and jamming tech.
• Accused by US of massive cyber espionage.
• Seen as an “asymmetric superpower” (Mark Leonard).

Question 14

4

Military Modernisation:

Answer 14

• Spending rising ~10%/year; still around 2% of GDP.
• World’s largest army.
• Space programme: satellite and moon probe (2009).
• Capable of deploying forces regionally.

Question 15

6

China’s Global Economic Influence

Answer 15

• Largest population: 1.34bn.
• Surpassed Germany in GDP (2007), Japan (2010), possibly US in PPP terms.
• PetroChina = world’s largest firm (2009).
• Stimulus (2008): $586 billion – world’s largest.
• Key G20 player (e.g., London 2009 Summit, bilateral G2 with Obama).
  Major financial centre: Hong Kong.
• World’s biggest steel user, energy consumer (2010, IAEA).
  Leading producer of cars and PCs.

Question 16

5

India’s Emergence

Answer 16

• Fast-growing economy.
• Nuclear weapons and space programme.
• Member of BRICS and G20.
• Likely future UNSC seat.
• Democratic rise less threatening than China’s.

Question 17

4

Global Diplomacy and Environment

Answer 17

• Member of WTO, UNSC (P5), and influential at G20 and Copenhagen 2009.
• 2007: Became largest CO₂ emitter; signed Copenhagen Accord.

Signed Paris Climate Accord, leads climate talks with US and others.

• Promotes multipolarity, rejects US hegemony.

Emphasises non-intervention and sovereignty; admired by countries like Sudan, Venezuela, Iran, Myanmar.

• China is Africa’s largest trading partner – trade increased 10x since 2001.
  Also Latin America’s #2 trading partner.

Question 18

3

IGOs and Global Governance
But IGOs are often deadlocked:

Answer 18

• Doha WTO Round collapsed.
• Copenhagen Accord (2009) had no binding targets.
• Durban 2011 agreement still aspirational.

Question 18

4

IGOs and Global Governance
IGOs facilitate cooperation:

Answer 18

• G8 Gleneagles 2005 – poverty.
• G20 London 2009 – financial crisis.
• Durban 2011 – towards 2015 climate agreement.
• Treaties: NPT, CTBT, financial and policing collaboration.

Question 19

3

UN Effectiveness and Limitations

Answer 19

• UNSC often divided:

Kosovo (1999), Iraq (2003), Georgia (2008), Syria (2011–13) – all UNSC deadlock.

UN must respect national sovereignty (UN Charter).

Example: Darfur – UN peacekeepers blocked by Sudan; China blocked sanctions due to economic ties.

• Failures:

Bosnia: Srebrenica massacre under UNPROFOR’s watch.

Somalia, Croatia, Sierra Leone – UN forces ineffective or humiliated.

• Successes:

Eritrea-Ethiopia (2000) – UN observers monitored ceasefire.

South Lebanon (2006) – peace agreement enforced.

East Timor (1999) – successful Chapter VII operation by Australia.

Gulf War (1991) – US-led expulsion of Iraq from Kuwait.

Question 20

4

IMF & World Bank: Bias Toward the Global North

Answer 20

• Main Idea: These institutions are dominated by the North, especially the US and Europe, with emerging economies underrepresented.
• Analysis: The North’s control is institutionalized through weighted voting systems and leadership appointments.
• Evaluation: Suggests a lack of legitimacy and fairness in global economic governance.
• Counterargument: Some reforms to voting weights have occurred post-2008, though they remain limited.

Question 21

3

Responsibility to Protect (R2P):

Answer 21

• Endorsed by UNGA (2005), UNSC (2006).
• Not enforced in Darfur or Syria.
• Used in Libya (2011), but unlikely to be replicated due to Russia/China veto power and post-Iraq caution.

Question 22

# 5 Neoliberal Policies & Structural Adjustment

Answer 22

- Main Idea: IMF and World Bank enforce neoliberal policies on Southern countries as loan conditions. - Analysis: Policies like trade liberalization, austerity, and privatization have caused economic and social harm. - Evaluation: Implies a one-size-fits-all approach that neglects local contexts and benefits TNCs more than local populations. - Example: 1997 SE Asian crisis; Sub-Saharan Africa’s 1998 spending imbalance. - Counterargument: Some argue these policies build long-term fiscal discipline and integrate economies globally.

Question 23

# 4 International Justice: Progress and Limitations

Answer 23

- Main Idea: International courts have made legal progress but face enforcement and credibility challenges. - Progress: First genocide and head-of-state convictions (e.g., Kambanda, Charles Taylor). - Problems: ICC seen as neo-colonial; African bias; weak enforcement (e.g., al-Bashir). - Evaluation: Justice mechanisms lack universal authority; credibility is undermined by selective enforcement.

Question 23

# 4 WTO Criticisms: Biased Rulings and TRIPS

Answer 23

- Main Idea: WTO policies and rulings often favor wealthy countries and multinationals. - Analysis: Humanitarian and environmental concerns are sidelined; TRIPS agreement harms poor nations’ access to tech and medicine. - Evaluation: WTO seen as prioritizing profit over people, with rulings that hurt vulnerable communities (e.g., Caribbean banana farmers). - Counterargument: Multilateral WTO system is still fairer than bilateral deals, where poor countries have even less leverage.

Question 23

# 4 Rising Influence of the South in WTO

Answer 23

- Main Idea: Emerging powers (BRICs) are gaining influence within the WTO. - Analysis: Consensus-based decisions empower poorer nations more than bilateral negotiations. - Evaluation: Potentially positive shift in global power dynamics. - Example: Doha Round’s failure = lost opportunity for development gains.

Question 24

# 3 Corruption & Internal Failures in the South

Answer 24

- Main Idea: Not all blame lies with the North — domestic misgovernance and corruption play key roles. - Examples: Mobutu’s Congo, Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. - Evaluation: Balanced perspective acknowledging internal barriers to development alongside external exploitation.

Question 25

# 4 TNCs and Unequal Gains from Globalization

Answer 25

- Main Idea: Northern TNCs often extract more value than they contribute in Southern countries. - Analysis: Profit repatriation, tax avoidance (e.g., Glencore in Zambia), and exploitation of labor. - Evaluation: TNCs can perpetuate underdevelopment and inequality. - Counterargument: Some FDI is beneficial — brings jobs, tech, and development (e.g., Vietnam; Tata in UK).

Question 26

# 4 Success Stories: Trade-Led Growth

Answer 26

- Main Idea: Some Southern countries have grown rapidly by engaging in global trade. - Examples: South Korea, China, India. - Analysis: Shows that globalization can work if managed properly and backed by strong state policies. - Evaluation: Challenges the narrative that globalization always harms the South.

Question 27

# 3 Western Double Standards: Human Rights

Answer 27

- Main Idea: Powerful Northern states violate human rights without consequence. - Examples: CIA torture, drone strikes killing civilians, Trump’s pro-torture stance. - Evaluation: Undermines moral authority of the North to promote human rights globally.

Question 28

# 4 LGBTQ+ Rights Divide

Answer 28

- Main Idea: Western countries have advanced LGBTQ+ rights while many developing countries criminalize homosexuality. - Analysis: Reflects deep global inequality in social rights. - Evaluation: Shows that modernization and global integration don’t guarantee equal human rights progress. - Example: 79 countries criminalize homosexuality; Russia’s Orthodox influence and Pussy Riot case.

Question 29

# 2 Climate Change & Environmental Injustice

Answer 29

- Key Evidence: Developed countries have historically emitted the most greenhouse gases. The developing world bears the brunt: Bangladesh and China face devastating sea level rises; Africa is projected to see up to 250 million people exposed to increased water stress by 2020. At the 2012 Doha Conference, richer countries promised aid for “loss and damage” but stopped short of legal liability. - Evaluation: Demonstrates a clear global injustice: those least responsible suffer most. Highlights deepening North-South tensions and legitimacy issues around climate justice and global governance.

Question 30

# 2 Environmental Pessimism & the Climate Crisis

Answer 30

- Key Evidence: IPCC projections suggest a rise of 1–5°C by 2100, melting polar ice, rising seas (1–2mm/year), and more extreme weather events (e.g., El Niño). Radical ecologists argue we’ve passed the point where moderate reform is adequate. The tipping point is at 2–3°C, but emissions may cause a 6.4°C rise. - Evaluation: Suggests urgent, radical intervention is needed. Demonstrates the inadequacy of international efforts (Kyoto, Copenhagen, Cancun, etc.), indicating a crisis of governance and short-termism among global leaders.

Question 31

# 2 Barriers to Global Environmental Cooperation

Answer 31

- Key Evidence: NGO influence is limited, especially in the developing world. COP/Copenhagen: NGOs sidelined in a parallel conference; national self-interest and electoral cycles dominate decision-making. Developing states lack access, information, and influence; e.g., Bangladeshis may not know who to lobby or how. - Evaluation: Suggests structural inequality in global governance and civil society representation. Reflects elite dominance and democratic deficits in global environmental negotiations.

Question 32

# 2 Technological Optimism & Green Innovation

Answer 32

- Key Evidence: Growth of solar energy (e.g., Southern Spain), eco-cities in China and Abu Dhabi. European plans for a shared renewable energy grid using geothermal (Iceland), solar (Mediterranean), wind/tidal (W. Europe). - Evaluation: Signals hope and capacity for coordinated green transitions. But technological solutions may benefit the Global North disproportionately unless made accessible and inclusive.

Question 33

# 2 Global North-South Divides on Climate Responsibility

Answer 33

- Key Evidence: Rich countries resist assuming legal responsibility or making binding commitments. Developing countries demand compensation and highlight historical responsibility. - Evaluation: Demonstrates continued dominance of Northern interests. Reinforces the notion that climate governance is skewed, delaying justice and deep reforms.

Question 34

# 2 False Solutions & Greenwashing

Answer 34

- Key Evidence: 70% of UK household recycling is shipped to China, undermining the ‘closed-loop’ recycling ideal. - Evaluation: Shows how reformist ecologist models may be flawed or tokenistic. Illustrates the outsourcing of environmental burdens to the Global South.

Question 35

Uneven Effects & Opportunities

Answer 35

- Key Evidence: While Asian countries lose coastal land, Canada and Russia may gain habitable territory. - Evaluation: Adds complexity: some may benefit from climate change, making global consensus harder to achieve. Reflects geopolitical asymmetry in climate impacts.