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AP World History - Unit 9: Globalization

International Terrorism and War

  • After WWII, there was an increasing interest in maintaining international security - organizations like NATO, United Nations, International Criminal Court in The Hague (prosecutes war crimes), and NGOs (Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders) to provide international aid to those in need

  • War in the Gulf

    • Iraq wanted to gain more control of oil reserves so they invaded Kuwait in 1990 under leadership of Saddam Hussein
    • United Nations sent forces to drive Iraqis out in early 1991 - now called Persian Gulf War
    • UN liberated Kuwait and put severe limitations on Iraq’s military and economic activity (although Hussein remained in power for another 10 years)
    • In 2003, coalition of countries, mostly US and Britain invaded Iraq to oust Hussein - Hussein was captured in December 2003 and a democratic government was formed in 2005
    • Despite conflicts and terrorism between Sunni, Shiites, and Kurds groups, a Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani and a Shia minister, Nouri ai-Maliki were elected, but they still have faced a number of challenges

  • Taliban, Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden

    • In early 1980s, Soviets sent troops to Afghanistan under at request of Marxist military leader Nur Muhammad Taraki

    • Afghanis opposed communism and fought back until Soviets withdrew troops - left a power void that warring factions vied to fill

    • Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist regime, filled the void after 14 years of fighting

    • Provided a safe haven for Osama bin Laden, the Saudi leader of the international terrorist network Al Qaeda, who specifically despised the US

    • US:

      1. Supports Israel
      2. Had troops stationed in Saudi Arabia
      3. Is the primary agent of globalization believed to be infecting Islamic culture

    • On September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda attacked US by hijacking 4 US planes and flying 2 of them into the World Trade Centre in New York, 1 into the Pentagon, and 1 into a field in Pennsylvania - 3000 people died

    • US immediately declared a war on terrorism and invaded Afghanistan - the Taliban was removed from power and Osama bin Laden was killed, but Al Qaeda still survives

    • Many terror attacks linked to Islamic fundamentalists still occur throughout Europe and the Middle East

World Trade and Cultural Exchange

  • End of Cold War and the Internet/technology resulted in a new and strong wave of global connection - last obstacle to true global interaction

  • North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and European Union (EU) were created to unite global currency/trade further

  • English became the language of global business and communication

  • EU banded Europe into a single market to give US some competition in 90s

    • Has 3 branches: executive, legislative, judicial
    • Eurozone, a monetary union formed in 1999, included all but 3 nations (UK, Sweden, Denmark)

  • Economies faltered again during the economic crisis in late 2000s - stronger economies like Germany were able to remain stable while over-extended economies collapsed badly

  • Global Culture

    • Some significant examples of pop culture are:
    1. The Olympics
    2. World Cup Soccer
    3. Reggae Music
    4. Bollywood
    5. Social Media
    6. McDonald’s

  • Rise of China and India

    • China had become a huge economic and industrial force in recent years - special economic zones developed to be exempt from communist rules and have since become worldwide production centres worth 100s of billions of dollars
    • Although, China has severely limited internet freedom and remains aged politically
    • India is one of the fastest growing economies - poor until the 90s, highly educated Indians brought the world of tech in Silicon Valley to India and made it a global hub for technology
    • Both are now nuclear powers with large military forces, but both also have serious problems with poverty and global emissions

  • Global Alphabet Soup

    • General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GAFF) - later World Trade Organization - developed to reduce barriers on international trade - has 153 member states
    • Group of Six (G6): forum for world’s major industrialized democracies - original members US, Britain, West Germany, Italy, Japan, France
    • Become G7 in 1977 (Canada) and G8 in 1997 (Russia) but became G7 again after Russia’s involvement in Ukraine
    • G20 is separate - 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

Environmental Change

  • Global integration has caused global environmental concerns
  • Green revolution of 50s and 60s led to destructions of traditional landscapes, reduced species diversity, and social conflicts to produce inexpensive food
  • Global warming is worsening at the fastest pace ever due to human activity - outcome is uncertain, but industrialized countries are not doing enough to limit their environmental damage

Global Health Crises

  • Epidemics in countries with poor sanitation are still an issue - WHO (World Health Organization) works to combat them
  • AIDS is a major crisis - 25% of African adults live with AIDS and treatment is expensive
  • Global health issues highlight the global disparities as the disproportionately affect low-income individuals

Age of the Computer

  • The personal computer was developed in the 1980s, followed by the Internet
  • In the 1990s, computers became commonplace in homes
  • Social Media has changed the way information spreads and has brought people closer together
  • Internet has also been a method of government surveillance and storing of user data, which is considered by many a breech of privacy