World Politics Today

1
World Politics Today
2
Issues

• Fukuyama believed the world has become more
  stable
• (1) liberal democracies do not go to war
• each other
• (2) globalisation interdependence
• (3) role of International Organisations

3
Issues

• Huntington Clash of Civilizations
• Interstate wars would decrease but replaced by
  tensions between civilizations
• Barry Buzan People, States Fear
• National security should include
  political/economic/societal/environmental issues
• Result is that states have similar national
  security issues that they can not be seen apart

4
Issues

• Global Terrorism post 11 September
• Zacarias Moussaoui 20th bomber Spanish
  trials
• What is the threat to West/UK?
• Proliferation of nuclear weapons a worrying
  trend?
• India/Pakistan
• North Korea

5
Issues

• US hegemony
• Unipolar world role of Russia
• Has the US become too powerful?
• Paul Wolfowitz Head of World Bank/John Bolton
  US ambassador to UN

6
Issues

• United Nations
• Has this organisation been undermined and what is
  its role since Iraq?
• Has it become similar to the League of Nations?

7
Issues

• Failed States and Rogue States
• axis of evil
• Links to terrorism

8
Issues

• Nationalism and Secessionism
• 20th century was the century of nationalism
• Post 1992 problems in Yugoslavia/Chechnya etc
• Threat of war
• Post 1992 has this increased or decreased?

9
Issues

• Middle East
• Can a solution for the problems in this area ever
  be found?
• Integration in Europe
• EU expanding 25 states
• Single currency/constitution

10
Issues

• Rise of China
• Economic boom
• Is this new? beware the yellow peril
• Human Rights
• Everyones rights?
• Important in US foreign policy
• China/Cuba accused
• Guantanamo Bay?

11
Issues

• Globalisation
• Extremely important
• Migration
• In todays world should everyone have the right
  to move freely?
• Could the US economy cope without Mexican
  immigrants?
• Present election

12
Issues

• International Crime/Drugs
• In contemporary world easier to move drugs
• war on drugs IS it winnable?
• Environment
• Global issue
• US record on this and Russia with Caspian Sea

13
Issues

• Aids
• In the developing world and Africa in particular
• Role of pharmaceutical companies
• New strain in New York
• Pope Benedict 16th
• 1.1b Catholics and knock-on effects of his
  policies

14
Issues

• Third World Poverty/Debt
• Debt crisis for over 20 years
• Knock-on effects for health/education/development/
  migration etc
• Should the West be doing more? - G8 this summer
  in Gleneagles

15
Conclusions

• 21 different issues listed
• Not one more or less important than the other
• Own personal decision which one most important
• Issues that have been dealt with over the last
  few weeks all culminate in these issues the
  contemporary world situation