Poli 150 Midterm 2

What are human rights?

The rights you have simply because you are human

How old are human rights?

It is more of a modern creation with significant religious undertones

What are two issues with human rights?

There is a lack of will to compel governments to adhere and human rights standards are often applied selectively

Why is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights significant?

It sets out for the first time the set of fundamental human rights to be universally protected

Why do some states sign the declaration and do nothing?

In the absence of a punishment or reward, actively protecting citizens can be costly and risky

What does the argument about democracy, economic development and human rights say?

Increases in democracy and economic development positively correlate with human rights

Why do human rights experts disagree with the democracy argument?

Since democracy is the rule by the majority, the minority often faces structural disadvantages

Why do human rights experts disagree with the economic development argument?

Since markets destroy inefficiencies, they disadvantage those with long histories of discrimination who may not be as efficient

What is a policy recommendation to ensure human rights?

The liberal democratic welfare state

Why might the liberal democratic state not be an effective option?

It might not apply to the global south that was created from a colonial legacy

How do we know human rights have been violated?

Military movements and refugee flows

What is a civil war?

A violent conflict within a country, fought by organized groups that aim to take power at the center, or to change government polices

What is the mean and median duration of a civil war?

Mean is 8.8 years, and median is 5.5

What is the median duration of an interstate war?

3 months

What factors contribute to the duration of civil wars?

Coups, geography, colonial wars, separatist was, and contraband financing

Why do civil wars persist?

Power is shared based on each sides military strength

What is the paradoxical danger of peace?

Peace is efficient, but it creates a commitment problem

What is a refugee?

Someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence.

How many people does the UN estimate are displaced?

117.3 million (1.46% of the global population)

What is internal displacement?

Someone who is a refugee but remains in his or her country’s borders

What is external displacement?

Someone who is a refugee and leaves his or hirs country’s borders

What typical assumption is made about refugees?

They have agency

Why is there no evidence of a robust correlation between migrants and crime rates?

There is actually a simple negative correlation between the two

What does consistent evidence prove about foreign born populations and crime?

They are less associated for violent crime and more for misdemeanors

What do migrant inflows generally do regarding terror events?

They typically decrease terror events

What is the Trojan Horse explanation?

Some migrants in migrant inflows are involved in terrorism

What is the Copycat explanation?

Terrorist acts can inspire others, including migrants

What is the Scapegoat explanation?

Migrants do not cause terrorism, but are blamed for it

Why are people afraid of refugees?

Tendency to other and dehumanization

What is the identifiable victim effect?

People are more likely to feel empathy when the victim is a specific individual

What is Terrorism?

A politically motivated attack by a non-state actor against non-combatent targets for the purpose of influencing a group larger than the immediate victims

Why do terrorist acts create shock and fear?

Graphic violence and randomness

What do numerous writers suggest as a solution to terrorism?

The government should wipe terrorists out since they are so fanatical

Why do weaker terrorist groups stand to gain from conflict?

Bc if they cannot be wiped out entirely, the only choices for governments are perpetual war or concessions.

What is the strategy or provocation?

Terrorists often mix with civilian populations, causing for government strikes to hit civilians as well

How did Jihadists rise?

Decolonization created a series of state that they view as illegitimate