Global Issues Responses, Essay Example

As outlined in “Global Trends 2025,” what are the converging trends that increase the risk of nuclear weapons use in the future?

1. The trends that increase the risk of nuclear weapons use include the continued unipolarity of the world. Namely, countries that feel a peripheral relationship to dominant powers such as the United States may feel that the only way to dissipate U.S. hegemony is by developing nuclear weapons. Accordingly, nuclear weapons may no longer represent a weapon of mass destruction, but a political and diplomatic tool, whereby through force one gains a voice in the unbalanced community of nations.

Explain the common thread shared by the variety of fundamentalism worldwide in regard to women’s rights, as discussed in “Feminists and Fundamentalism”.

2. The common thread of fundamentalism in regards to feminism is grounded in the patriarchic nature of culture proposed by such fundamentalisms. Namely, all fundamentalisms are founded on a certain exclusionary ideology, whereby minorities such as women are occluded from political and social decision-making. Therefore, any fundamentalist ideology, irrespective of its basic tenets (i.e., various forms of religious fundamentalism), oppose the granting of rights to women, since this signifies a destabilization of their worldview.

According to the author of “The Ideology of Development” what are two examples of the backlash against the ideology of development?

3. According to the author, the backlash to the so-called “Ideology of Development” has resulted in the resurrection of “ideologies.” For example, against the inexorable teleological progress of society as identified by the author, various strains of religious fundamentalism have emerged, which do not believe in development, but rather commit to the continued relevance of traditional mores. Furthermore, to the extent that such development is related to Western discourses of democracy and capitalism, non-democratic ideologies such as fascism re-emerge as a response to bourgeois development.

According to “Climate Change After Copenhagen” what are some of the reasons the Copenhagen Summit failed to reach an international agreement addressing climate change?

4. “Climate Change after Copenhagen” suggests that the obstacles to reaching international consensus are multiple. Superpowers such as China do not wish to address such issues, since they are experiencing a period of growth, which would be hindered by restrictions on industrial production. On the other hand, already developed states, such as the West, may use such restrictions on production because of the climate to maintain the current balance of geopolitical power. Accordingly, climate change is not an environmental issue, but becomes a tool of foreign policy.

As explained in “Globalization and Its Contents” what are three of the positive changes global society has experienced over the last century?

5. Global society has demonstrated numerous positive changes. Firstly, the spread of information made available by globalization destroys isolated and ignorant cultures. Secondly, trade has become more open by technological gains. Thirdly, issues of human and democratic rights have had a chance to become more dominant in global discourse, insofar as these mores are more readily communicated to the world population.

What do the authors in “Bolivia and Its Lithium” mean by a development paradox?

6. The development paradox refers to the fact that, although particular nations may be rich in a particular valuable resource, this abundance does not translate into the development of the country. This is because the abundance of a particular resource tends to lead to an over-emphasis on this particular segment of the economy, at the expense of other segments, while also making it easier for foreign agencies to exploit the country in question, since their prospective prosperity is defined by a singular income source.

As outlined in “Not Your Father’s Latin America,” what are two of the tenets that the new left-of-center political leadership in Latin America has been able to combine with the mission of serving the poor?

7. The new-left-of-center political leadership in Latin America has utilized various strategies in helping to serving the poor. Firstly, there has been a commitment to a South American identity defined by principles of so-called “Bolivarianism”, whereby racial divisions in South America are elided through reference to the historical actions of Simon Bolivar against Spanish hegemony in the region (i.e., Chavez is an adherent to Bolivarian ideology). Secondly, there has been an anti-imperialistic gesture, which has critiqued the intrusion of foreign powers, above all the United States, in South American affairs, a clear historical fact demonstrated by the junta culture of the twentieth century, where the U.S. continually supported dictatorships in South America in order to prevent humanist and leftist movements.

As outlined in “It’s Still the One,” what are at least two characteristics of the new age of oil?

In “The Quiet Coup” what is the author’s point of view and what reasons does he have to support it?

In “The Seven Myths about Alternative Energy” what is the author’s point of view?

8. The author’s point of view in this text is to oppose the various arguments for alternative energy, by a point by point rebuttal of commonly cited reasons why alternative energy is beneficial. Hence, for example, in the constant rhetoric concerning the need to find alternative energies, many bad ideas are being funded according to the author. In essence, the chase for alternative energy is wholly too speculative for the pragmatic and capitalist viewpoint of Michael Grunwald.

In “The End of Men” why does the author argue that a modern economy advantages women over men?

9. In “The End of Men”, the author suggests that the post-industrial as opposed to the industrial nature of culture is advantageous to women. This is because the post-industrial context does not emphasize, for example, physical strength and stamina, characteristics which are better developed in the male sex. The non-physical division of labor thus allows women to better participate in the post-industrial society.

As pointed out in “A World Enslaved,” what is the goal of the Society for Human Development and Women’s Empowerment?

10. The aim of groups such as the Society for Human Development and Women’s Empowerment is to educate those who have experienced modern slavery, thus giving them skills that are germane to a different paradigm. By breaking with the mindset of slavery, different options are opened to the individuals who have been victimized by human exploitation.

As detailed in “Life, Religion and Everything,” what are the two factors in religious evolution that eliminated early pagans’ connections with the Earth?

11. Pagan culture has been eliminated by a lack of emphasis on nature, which, according to these religions, emphasized the sacral aspects of nature. By transferring sacredness to an other-worldly realm, our world merely becomes a transitory phase to a superior form of existence. Furthermore, an increasing mechanistic view of nature has yielded the standpoint that nature is only a machine which produces things, thus encouraging her exploitation.

As detailed in “Population and Sustainability” what are some of the proposed policies to reduce the number of new babies? What do you see as pros and cons of these policies?

As outlined in the power point presentation “The Case Against the West,” what are two of three things that the West must do to cope with and benefit from the changing world order?

12. According to the presentation, Western countries must understand that they are not the resolution to all problems, but rather a real cause of the world’s difficulties. Hence, capitalist exploitation marginalizes the rest of the world in favor of producing goods for the West. This requires a shift in the West’s messianic role. Furthermore, the West must also understand that it has lost its hegemonic status in the world: insofar as developing Asian nations such as China continually become more powerful in the world, the West must understand that it has lost its hegemonic status.

As concluded in “Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?”, what are at least two of the four components of Plan B?

As detailed in “Navigating the Energy Transition,” why might global oil supplies not be adequate to meet future needs?

13. According to the article in question, global oil supplies may not meet future needs for three basic reasons. Firstly, oil supplies are constantly being depleted. Secondly, existing oil fields are producing less amounts of product. Thirdly, investing in the field on grandiose levels has also decreased.

As detailed in “Climate Change,” explain how melting Arctic ice will help speed up global warming.

14. Melting Arctic ice can accelerate the process of global warming, insofar as the Arctic plays a crucial role in maintaining world temperatures. The movement of water is controlled by the current geography of the Arctic. With its reduction, water flows and currents will take new forms, threatening the ecosystems in the area and thus the world as a whole.

As presented in “Troubled Waters,” explain how the burning of fossil fuels on land affects the sea and marine life.

As detailed in “Acacia Avenue,” describe the initiative known as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and why it might work for Indonesia.

15. The REDD argues that because underdeveloped countries sell trees and forestry to developed countries, the latter should pay the former in order to stop cutting down tress. Hence, by establishing so-called “forest carbon credits”, the developed world invests in the underdeveloped world to protect the logging sites in question.

As explained in “The Other Climate Changers” how does black carbon alter the environment?

16. Black carbon alters the environment according to the article, insofar as such the emissions of such carbon particles absorb light at an excessive rate in comparison to, for example, carbon dioxide. Hence, black carbon essentially acts as a pollutant, which creates a warming effect.

If “More Aid is Not the Answer” as the article contends, then what IS the answer?

17. The article suggests that more aid is not the answer since such aid inevitably becomes subject to corruption. Instead, policy should emphasize making developing countries and continents, such as Africa, autonomous and accountable. As opposed to so-called “hand-outs”, these nations would learn to become sufficient on basic levels, potentially allowing them to thrive.

As explained in “The Revenge of Geography,” what is unique about Iran among Middle Eastern countries, allowing it to become the ancient world’s first superpower and making it attractive to India and China now?

18. Iran, amongst Middle Eastern countries, is unique because of its basic geopolitical position. Namely, Iran occupies the interstice between the energy-producing zones (and their pipelines) of the Caspian region, the Persian Gulf, China and the Indian Ocean. Hence, Iran functions as a crucial center of contemporary production and trade.

As based on the article “The Border of Madness”, what role does the US play in Mexico’s drug wars?

As detailed in “Banning the Bomb,” explain the arguments of the horror strategy and the risk strategy as they are used to oppose the use of nuclear weapons.

According to “War in the Fifth Domain” how serious a problem is cyberwar and what efforts are being made to address it?

19. The tactical dilemmas evoked by the possibility of cyberwar are evidenced by the extent to which the military – and society in general – are reliant upon the technologies of computer information systems to function. Accordingly, cyberwar becomes a legitimate tactic with which to attack both the security and social structure of another country. In order to combat this threat, various countries have established so-called “cyber-security” operations, which intend to monitor possible attacks.

As presented in “Geneva Conventions,” explain the mandates of the Geneva Conventions and how those apply to prisoners in Guantánamo’s military prison.

In “Asia’s Rise and Fall” what is the author’s theory of international relations?  Describe the four demographic trends explained in “The New Population Bomb”.

As described in “Pandemic Pandemonium,” what is the vicious cycle that reinforces pandemics, particularly in poor countries?

20. The pandemic problem is not only a health issue, but an economic issue. Insofar as certain countries remain underdeveloped, they do not have the significant resources to combat possible pandemics. Accordingly, the foundational infrastructure of these countries must be changed, since the eradication of a particular pandemic does not preclude the possibility that another pandemic may arise; furthermore, according to the globalization of the world, disease becomes more likely to be spread, which makes the threat of a particular disease transcend issues of local geography.

As stressed in “Humanity’s Common Values: Seeking A Positive Future,” what are some of the widely shared positive human values that are prerequisite to a harmonious global society?                                                                                                                                                                 21. Following the argument in “Humanity’s Common Values: Seeking A Positive Future,” widely shared human values may be construed as universal human values. Namely, these are values that transcend local cultures and societies. Hence, according to the author, all cultures may find a “common cause” in cooperation along interfaith lines, which stress a shared belief in a transcendent power. Furthermore, environmental policies may be advanced, since all humans are obviously inhabitants of the earth. This ultimately coincides with the well-being of the human species as a whole, which leads to another potentially common goal, that of a global initiative in terms of developments in medicine and healthcare.  As revealed in the power point “Can Extreme Poverty Be Eliminated” what are three (3) goals of Millennium Development? As described in “The Big Melt” what is the relationship of glacier melt to much of Asia’s agricultural production and urban lifestyle?