Conflict and Cooperation - 21st Cent.

The Internet: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• possibly the greatest tool for communication

• 2014: 43% of the population was connected to the internet

• social media helps connect businesses with their customers

• it changed the workplace (telecommuting)

• development of wikis

• crowd-sourcing for funding projects

Cons:

• computer viruses can disrupt our daily lives and economy

• dependence on the internet

• social media is addictive

• wrong information on the internet

• scams and frauds

9/11:

• Al-Qaeda coordinated the attack (Osama bin Laden)

• almost 3,000 people were killed, and over 6,000 were wounded

• the US government launched the war on terror and Afghanistan Invasion

• Bin Laden was captured and killed in 2011

• Al-Qaeda shifted into ISIS --> operation inherent resolve

European Union:

• The political and economic community made up of 28 countries

• these countries are generally high on human development indices

• EU developed a market so the policies encourage the free movement of people, free movement of goods and services, and free capital throughout Europe

• maintain common trade policies, agriculture policies

• establish a monetary unit of currency called the Euro

Arab Spring:

• Began in 2010 in Tunisia, where people overthrew the government and brought in democracy

• This spread across the Middle East, sparking protests in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen

• The results were mixed and Egypt struggled

• It led to the current Syrian refugee crisis

Brent:

• In 2016, Britain held a divisive referendum on whether it should remain or leave the EU

• the majority voted to leave the EU

• GB negotiates what the exit will look like