Social 20-1 Unit 3

Economic Stability

Countries may involve themselves in international discussions, organizations, or alliances to compete in the global economy

International Organizations and examples of Economic stability

OPEC, MERCOSUR, EU, G-20, American aid to western Europe after WW2 to prevent the spread of Communism

Canadian example of economic stability

NAFTA

Peace and Security

To keep themselves safe, countries may join military alliances, or deal with negotiations to promote international peace

International example of National security

UN (peacekeepers)

Self-determination

The desire of people from a nation to have control over their own affairs and territory

International organizations having to do with self-deternination

1. The Commonwealth

2. The Arctic Council

3. International Indigenous People's Council

Canadian organizations having to do with self-determination

1. La Francophonie

2. Arctic Council

Humanitarianism

Nations reaching out to each other in times of need, bow easier because of the media

International organizations of Humanitarianism

1. UNICEF

2. WHO

3. Red Cross

Canadian examples of Humanitarianism

1. Canadian aid in El Salvador

2. Help from other countries with the Fort McMurray fire

3. Sponsor children

Isolationism

A foreign policy whereby a country decides to exclude itself from relations with other countries; isolating itself from the world. Like a quarantine, one country isolates itself from everyone else (eg. US after WW1)

Unilateralism

The policy of a country responding to events on its own without agreements with, or support from other countries (example is the suggestion for unilateral disarmament)

Bilateralism

Agreements between two countries to work towards resolving issues that concern both countries (example: in 1991, Canada and the USA made an agreement to solve the problem of acid rain)

Multilateralism

A policy that involves several countries working together to meet challenges and solve problems (eg. UN, World Trade Organization)

Supranationalism

A country may compromise its national interest or give up some sovereignty to meet the needs of other countries (eg. The EU)

Internationalism

Multiple countries coming together to solve the world's issues/working together for the common good (eg. The UN)

The World Health Organization

An agency of the UN that takes an internationalist approach towards Human health. They coordinate information about diseases, collect statistics on nutrition, population, sanitation, and health of mothers and children

Arctic Council

Countries concerned with what happens to the Arctic and its resources that have a continental shelf in the arctic (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Canada, USA)

The Right to Play

An NGO that was started in 2003 after a Norwegian Olympic Athlete donated most of his winnings to children in war-torn areas with nowhere to play. It educates children on HIV/AIDS and trains local volunteers to start and maintain the programs.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

An alliance of more than 25 countries whose purpose is to safe-guard the freedom and security of its members

NORAD (The North American Aerospace Defence Command)

A Canada-USA partnership responsible for defending the North American airspace

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

An economic agreement between Canada, the USA, and Mexico creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America

Commonwealth of Nations

The voluntary association of 52 countries (all sovereign) mostly made up of previous colonies of the British Empire aligned to create an ongoing prosperity between the countries

La Francophonie

An organization made up of governments that promotes French language and cultural and linguistic diversity. Recently began to advocate for human rights and reaching out to governments without a French background

APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation)

An organization of 21 countries predominantly concerned with trade and economic issues with members engaging with one another as economic entities

OAS (Organization of American States)

One of the oldest international organizations responsible for achieving a peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, strengthen collaboration, and defend sovereignty, territory and independence of members

G8

A group of countries known as major policy-makers enforcing or disrupting political and economic stability

G20

An extension of the G8 to include:

- Brazil

- China

- Saudi-Arabia

- Korea

- France

- Australia

- Canada

- Germany

- Indonesia

- Argentina

- Turkey

- India

- Russia

- USA

- UK

- The European Union

When did the UN first come into existence

On October 24th 1945 after the official ratification of its charter

UN structure

1. The General Assembly

2. The Security Council

3. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

4. The Secretariat

5. The International Court of Justice

What languages are used in intergovernmental meetings and documents?

Arabic, Chinese (simplified), English, French, Russian, and Spanish

What languages does the Secretariat use?

French and English

Typical commissions of the ECOSOC

1. Human Rights

2. Transport and Communications

3. Narcotic Drugs

4. Status of Women

Typical specialized agencies of ECOSOC

1. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

2. International Labour Organization

3. World Health Organization

4. World Bank

Does the UN have an army?

No. Peacekeepers are sent from country to country on behalf of the UN but doesn't have an army of its own.

Peacekeeping

The act of keeping peace from an impartial perspective between warring groups, measures include military assistance, economic sanctions, and negotiations.

Peacemaking

The act of violently making peace between warring groups, mostly by siding with one with military help.

What are some ways to keep the peace?

1. Economic sanctions like in Iraq

2. Military peacekeepers to provide a buffer zone between warring groups and to protect people involved in humanitarian efforts

3. Helping with peace negotiations

When are peacekeepers sent to conflict-zones?

Only after a cease-fire has been called to set a buffer zone between the groups in conflict

What are the guidelines of peacekeepers?

1. There needs to be consent from the host country

2. They must be impartial

3. They must only act in self defence

Explain the Suez Canal Crisis

1. Because the Suez Canal passes through Egypt, the Egyptians claimed it as their territory

2. Conflict arose between the British (with their French allies) and the Egyptians

3. Lester B. Pearson assembled a group of peacekeepers from Canada and sent them to the conflict area while peace conditions were negotiated

What are some failures of peacekeeping?

Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Bosnia

International Law

Agreements made between several countries such as international treaties, agreements, and conventions

Who interprets international Law?

The UN's International Court of Justice/World Court

How can the World Court cause conflict?

The World court's decision an interfere with the national interest of a country and said country can choose not to follow it. (Example: the USA was condemned by the World Court when they sent military help to Nicaraguan rebels to help overthrow the government)

Economic Sanctions

Cutting off trade with a country to make it follow a course of action

UN Convention of the Law of the Sea

Sets rules for the high seas (international waters) and defined territorial waters as 22km from the country's coast and gave coastal countries control of fishing, mining, and environment 370km from shore

What are examples of international conventions?

1. The Arctic Council and the issue of Arctic Sovereignty

2. The International Seabed Authority

3. The UN convention of Inhumane Weapons

The Ottawa Treaty

A result of the UN convention of Inhumane Weapons in 1996, in which the UN banned landmines:

In 2002, $94 million went to clearing landmines in Afghanistan

What are examples of foreign aid?

1. Development programs for the country

2. Medical supplies

3. Food

4. Clothing

5. Building supplies

What negotiations need to be made for foreign aid to be received?

1. Both the donor and the receiving country need to agree on policies

2. The most effective use of the foreign aid

What is the 0.7% solution?

Lester B. Pearson proposed that 0.7% of each country's yearly spending goes to foreign aid.

Tied aid

The controversial idea of foreign aid with strings attached benefitting the donor. For example, the donor country may create a trading monopoly within a country in exchange for the foreign aid (an example is the aid, funding, and infrastructure projects being poured into Africa by China in 2014 in exchange of natural resources. This opens a market for China)

What are some challenges in foreign aid?

1. The correct distribution of the humanitarian goods to those who need it most

2. Corrupt officials

3. Donor countries taking advantage of tied aid in a way that hurts the country

Explain the conflict in Nicaragua with the USA

1. Anastasio Somoza Debayle had been in power as a dictator

2. Sandinistas overthrew him with initial USA support

3. Sandinistas started to help the rebels in El Salvador and the USA withdrew their support, as the Sadinistas were moving closer to Communism than socialism

4. USA started to support the Contras (counterrevolutionaries) against the Sandinistas while negotiating the release of American soldiers in Iran (exchanging arms for the prisoners)

5. The USA was afraid of the spread of Nicaragua's government through force to other countries (Honduras, Guatemala, etc.)

6. Eventually, Sadinistas stayed in power (Daniel Ortega as president) but with an opposition and other political parties.

7. Presidential term limits were removed.

The Brahimi Report

A document made in 2000 that called upon UN member states, especially the wealthy developed countries, to commit themselves fully (financially, morally, and politically) to global peacekeeping and peacemaking

Article 1 of the UN Charter

To save succeeding generations from war by making worldwide peace and security by working collectively

What was the role of Canada in international conflict zones in the early days of the UN?

Mainly an observer role. They kept an eye on military and civilians but weren't actively involved

Where was the first conflict after WW2?

India-Pakistan for Kashmir

How was Canada's involvement in Korea different?

It was an all-out war, and they were actively involved via NATO

Explain what happened in Korea

1. Korea was split into North (USSR) and South Korea (USA) until an election could be held.

2. North Korea attacked South Korea

3. The Security Council refused to recognize China as more than Taiwan because it was communist

4. The USSR opted out of voting on military action in Korea to protest the lack of recognition of its communist friend, taking away the only nations that could prevent an invasion in Korea

5. USA went ahead, followed by Britain and France

Where did Canada earn its reputation as a peacekeeping nation?

During the Suez Canal crisis

Where have UN peacekeeping missions failed?

1. Kashmir

2. Somalia

3. Rwanda

4. Bosnia

5. Sierra Leone

Where has the UN been successful?

1. Nicaragua

2. Cambodia

3. Mozambique

4. To an extent, Korea

What problems faced the UN in 2000?

1. Poverty

2. Climate change

3. Ill-trained troops

4. Lack of equipment

The Independent International Commission on Sovereignty

A commission specifically created to solve and discuss whether the UN should get involved in civil conflict within a nation or respect their sovereignty.

Voluntary Balkanization

The separation of like-minded people into isolated hostile groups (hostile to people with values that differ from theirs)

Can harm the structure of democratic societies and result in the loss of shared experiences

Responsibility to protect

A doctrine within the UN that obligates them to protect those whose government violates/fails to uphold the rights of its people

Common Human Heritage

The cultural inheritance from the past shared by all humans and is preserved in world heritage sites, traditional skills and knowledge, and the arts.

Trickle-Down Effect

The theory that the more spending money developed countries have, the more they will spend on less developed countries and that this spending will result in a better economy for the developing country.

Global Village

New nations branching off from a certain interest or aspect of society parallel to the nation state. A worldwide community of nations beyond nation states.

What are the five criteria that the UN uses when deciding on intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states?

1. There is a defined threat

2. The purpose of intervention is clear

3. Intervention is the Security Council's last resort

4. Only appropriate means are used (one doesn't need much mikitary for negotiations)

5. Reasons for intervention are examined and reported to the Security Council

Iran's conflict with the UN

1. After signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran began to enrich uranium under a secrecy that rose suspicion within the UN.

2. Western members of the International Atomic Agency told Iran to stop.

3. Iran refused because they "had the right to pursue their national interest" by exploiting their resources to generate nuclear power. (Sovereignty)

Explain the controversy of protection of Heritage sites

It pits national interest against international interest. It is easy to start a debate on sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Host country.

Explain UNESCO's conflict with the Taliban

The Taliban of Afghanistan destroyed two ancient statues of Buddha because they were seen as idols. Religious purity is in their list of priority.

The World Trade Organization's Roles

1. Sets out rules for international trade and supervises the following of these

2. Settles disputes between countries on trade (ex. Canada-USA dispute on Lumber)

What is the WTO's Impact on Nationalism?

1. It threatens national identity

2. Lessens a country's sovereignty as it can override decisions made on trade by the government (ex. Canada's water exports to the USA)

The European Union's Roles

1. Promotes peace, security, and justice

2. Creates free trade among its members

The EU's impact on nationalism

1. It uses supranationalism to achieve internationalism

2. Causes countries to give up sovereignty

What makes the EU a supranationalist organization?

1. All countries have to adopt the euro (except for Britain and Denmark who have refused)

2. They adopted a collective constitution that prohibits countries from passing national laws that violate the constitution

The Early Indigenous Peoples' Initiatives Roles

1. Advocates for the right of Indians worldwide (ex. Passed the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)

2. Promotes interests

3. Strengthens cultural bonds that unite them

Early Indigenous Peoples' Initiatives' Impact on nationalism

Strengthens indigenous nationalism THROUGH internationalism by promoting each culture's interests and rights, not by encouraging supranationalism

Arctic Council's Role

Discuss strategies and issues to protect/concerning the arctic such as climate change, resources, how much property each country is due

La Francophonie's Role

1. Promotes the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity

2. Reaches out to governments beyond the language barrier to advocate for human rights such as Macedonia.

La Francophonie's Impact on Nationalism

Requires a small portion of sovereignty to be given up though not as much as the EU (ex. Resolutions passed by La Francophonie often influence governments to change their policies

The Arctic Council's Impact on Nationalism

Strengthens nationalism by integrating all member cultures in the discussions (ex. It recognizes indigenous people as a distinct nation by giving then a spot on the council)

Explain how NATO was formed and how it works

NATO was formed in 1949 to protect its member countries and unite them against the USSR to protect themselves during the Cold War. After the USSR started to crumble in the late 1980s, NATO started to be more involved in peacekeeping/making (ex. Afghanistan 2008). They agreed that an attack on one of its members was an attack on all of them.

How does NATO promote both nationalism and internationalism?

By acknowledging and validating each country's sense of nationalism and backing each other up, it promotes internationalism as one country's problem becomes another country's problem.

Explain what happened in Lebanon 1978

1. Southern Lebanon had a base for Palestinian terrorists, swearing to destroy Israel

2. Israel invaded Lebanon while Lebanon was fighting a civil war to stop the terrorism

3. The UN feared that Arab states would help Lebanon by attacking Israel, further endangering peace

4. Peacekeeping forces were sent, forcing Israel out if Lebanon, preventing another war

What happened in the Congo, 1960?

1. After getting its independence in 1960 from Belgium, rivalling poliical parties started to conflict with one another

2. The Congolese government agreed to help being offered by the Security Council

3. Peace was negotiated in 1964, one of the biggest peacekeeping missions up to 1979

Explain the conflict in Cyprus, 1964

1. The Turkish and Greek Cypriots had been in conflict with each other since 1571

2. Independence was granted to them in 1960

3. They agreed to the peacekeepers coming to prevent further conflict

4. It's one of Canada's longest ongoing missions

List the last agreements/conventions/protocols on climate change

1. Rio 1992

2. Kyoto 1997

3. Copenhagen 2009

4. Paris 2015

What was the maij objective of the Kyoto Protocol?

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020

Why did Canada back out of the Kyoto Protocol?

Because it would cost the economy $51 billion

Absolute poverty

A condition characterized by the severe deprivation of basic human needs such as food, safe drinking water, sanitation, health, shelter, education, and information

Explain the situation in Québec with Sheila Watt-Cloutier

An environmentalist has exposed the effects if climate change and the impact on people (the first nations) who live from the land

Explain aspects/factors of a lack of education

1. School fees are too high

2. Schools are few and far away

3. Cultural barriers preventing some from going to school

List the results of conflict within an area

1. Takes away availability of resources

2. Puts innocent people at risk

3. Cuts people off from each other and from places

Explain the issue of trade rules within a developing country

1. High tariffs and ban on imports hinder businesses in the exporting country

2. Low tariffs and barriers hinder businesses from the importing country