Enduring issues examples

Modern examples of discrimination

• Against African Americans, even past the dismantling of segregation still face discrimination in employment, housing. Redlining - refusing mortgages to Black Americans, causing long-term wealth gaps

• Gender discrimination - in the 70’s married women were prevented from working out of fear they would take maternity leave, today there are still significant pay gaps which are even larger for women of color

• Post 9/11 Islamophobia - people perceived to be Muslim faced increased surveillance, hate crimes, discrimination in travel

Modern examples of conflict

War in Ukraine - territorial motivation for Russia, invasion of Crimea leads to full-scale war, massive destruction, impacts on the economy

Yugoslav wars - caused by nationalism due to various ethnic groups wanting to split and Serbia wanting control of Yugoslavia, causing ethnic cleansing of Bosnians by Serbians, results in nato intervention

War on terror - Post 9/11, US efforts to demonstrate power and discourage terrorist organization in the Middle East, results in formation of new groups like ISIS and increased instability in the Middle East.

Modern examples of Human Rights Violations

Bosnian genocide - ethnic cleansing of Bosnians by Serbians, who wanted control of what was Yugoslavia. Results in mass deaht and intervention by UN

Uyghur reeducation in China - Uyghur muslims displaced and forced into camps to perform labor and be reeducated, allegations of sterilization, destruction of cultural sites, very little intervention by international groups.

Apartheid in South Africa - Legalized system of racial segregation, oppression —> denial of voting rights, violent suppression of protests, reformed through a combination of peaceful and violent demonstrations

Modern examples of scarcity

Water scarcity in sub-saharan Africa - lack of access to clean, drinkable water in countries like Sudan, Niger, caused by drought and poor infrastructure

Supply chain issues (semiconductor shortage) - global issue caused by COVID, limiting production capacity, causing people to lose jobs and prices to increase

Energy scarcity in Europe - After Russia invades Ukraine, natural gas supplies reduced, countries like Germany and Poland face energy shortages and high prices

Modern examples of environment

Air pollution in India/China - caused by vehicle emissions, coal plants, crop burning, construction dust, results in health impacts like asthma and reduced life expectancy

Deforestation in Brazil - destruction of natural habitats and an important carbon sink, caused by desire to grow cash crops

General global warming - caused by emissions of CO2, impacts include more frequent wildfires, extreme weather (heatwaves, hurricanes)

Modern examples of impact of technology

Social media - leads to spread of fake news, echo chambers, political polarization, can be used to help spread propaganda such as in the spread of misinformation during elections or anti-Rohingya propaganda in Myanmar.

Surveillance and facial recognition - US, China, UK; can lead to use of facial recognition for politically-motivated, repressive surveillance (example - Chinese use of facial recognition to track Uyghurs)

Cybersecurity issues - Rise of cyberattacks on governments and businesses, such as ransomeware attack on US government causing fuel shortages in 2021.

Modern examples of desire for power

Putin and invasion of Ukraine - Desire to reassert Russian control over previous soviet states, results in full-scale war, destruction of property and life

Saddam Hussein in Iraq - desire to dominate Middle East, Outcome: Genocide against Kurds (Halabja gas attack), Gulf Wars, eventual U.S. invasion, Tactic: Use of fear, propaganda, secret police.

Rwandan Genocide (1994), Desire for power: Hutu elites inciting mass violence to maintain dominance. Outcome: 800,000+ Tutsis and moderate Hutus killed in 100 days.Tactic: Radio propaganda, civilian mobilization, ethnic hatred.

Modern examples for traditional v. modern culture

Womens rights vs. traditional roles in Afghanistan - Taliban denies education and jog diversity rights for women, based on hyper-religious shariah law.

Indigenous Practices vs. Modern Development (Amazon & North America)

• E xample:Indigenous tribes in Brazil resist logging, mining, and agribusiness expansion. Native Americans protest pipelines (e.g., Standing Rock, 2016) threatening sacred land. Tension: Modern economic interests vs. traditional ecological and spiritual values.

LGBTQ rights vs. traditional reforms (Africa, Russia, Middle East) - Modern push - global protests/LGBTQ rights movements; traditional resistance: Uganda’s LGBTQ law includes the death penalty, Russian “gay propaganda” laws ban discussion of LGBTQ topics

Modern examples of market vs. command economy

North Korean command economy - entirely state-run economy, leads to frequent food/good shortages and economic isolation, total government control has led to stagnation but are afraid to give up any power

2008 housing financial crisis - Government heavily loans/bails out banks to avoid bankruptcy, as a result banks don’t take on losses as much as the public does in the end - sparks debate on whether US should be entirely free market or should have some govt intervention

Eastern European transition from command to market post 1989 - Before collective/ equal economy, after inequality but also increased growth, leads to conflicting ideas about market vs command benefits

Modern examples of globalization

refugee influxes - facilitated by global connection, migration Central Americans into US, Syrians into Europe - cause rise of nationalist parties and discrimination towards immigrants

global response to COVID - virus spread globally through travel, vaccine was easier to develop due to global cooperation, but the distribution ultimately was unequal due to differences in wealth and geopolitical priority

Global corporations (Amazon, Apple) - able to utilize tax and legal loopholes to avoid accountability for global laws, conflict between corporations vs. legal system

Modern examples of nationalism

Russian invasion of Ukraine - based on the idea of Russian sovereignty, with the argument being based on common heritage and language and previous unity

America first movement - 2016-2020 under Trump, increased immigration control and attempts to protect trade imbalances, leads to increased xenophobia and political polarization

India under Narendra Modi - Promotes nationalism among Hindu citizens, changes to citizenship laws seen as targeting muslim populations by attempting to exclude them - tension between aims for national unity through Muslim identity and minority rights

Modern examples of demographics

India’s Population Surpassing China (2023)

• What’s happening: India officially became the most populous country in the world.

• Effects:

  • Enormous workforce and market potential

  • But: high youth unemployment, rural poverty, and uneven urbanization

• Tension: Demographic strength vs. inequality and infrastructure stress

One child policy in China

• What’s happening:

  • After decades of the One Child Policy, China now faces a declining birth rate and aging population.

• Effects:

  • Fewer working-age adults to support the elderly

  • Labor shortages in key industries

• Response:

  • Policy shifted to allow 3 children per family

  • Pro-natalist campaigns, but cultural norms and cost of living limit success

• Tension: Past population control vs. future labor needs

Us declining birth rate and immigration dependency

• What’s happening:

  • Fertility rate below replacement level

  • Population growth now driven largely by immigration

• Effects:

  • Political divide over immigration policy

  • Aging white population vs. growing younger minority populations

• Tension: Demographic change vs. political resistance to immigration