Chapter 25 Poli/cal Systems in Today s World Democracies Na/ons Transi/oning to Democracy Authoritarian Governments
Sec/on 25-1 Democra/c Governments Where did democracy come from?
3 Types of Democra/c Systems Parliamentary Presiden/al Emerging democracies
Parliamentary Systems combine execu/ve & legisla/ve func/ons in an elected assembly.
Great Britain Parliament House of Commons (holds most power) 560 elected House of Lords approx. 789 inherited seats Majority party leader in the House of Commons is prime minister (although technically appointed by the Queen). Chooses other ministers to head execu/ve departments & serve as Cabinet members. Prime Minister David Cameronà
Japan The Na/onal Diet, has two houses House of Councillors (like our Senate) House of Representa/ves elects the prime minister Prime minister Shinzō Abeà Mul/- member districts If the House of Reps votes no confidence before his 4- year term is up, the prime minister must dissolve the House & call for an elec/on
Presiden/al Government separates execu/ve & legisla/ve powers
France The president, François Hollandeà 1. Nego/ates trea/es 2. Appoints high officials 3. Works with the armed forces 4. May declare himself dictator during a na/onal emergency 5. May call for a referendum of the people 6. May dissolve the Na/onal Assembly & call for elec/ons 7. appoints the premier, who appoints the ministers (cabinet) & runs the gov t
Emerging Democracies Democracies have spread in the last few decades Especially in Eastern Europe due to the fall of communism
Poland 1 st eastern European na/on to overthrow its Communist gov t Lech Walesa was leader of a trade union called Solidarity, 1990: became the first freely- elected Polish president à Spent years wri/ng a cons/tu/on that would limit federal gov t power & strengthen local gov t Economy has struggled and par/es have fought over who should wield what power» Current President, Andrzej Dudaà
South Africa Beginning in 1948, apartheid - strict gov t- enforced racial segrega/on 1990s - African Na/onal Congress & foreign sanc/ons caused apartheid laws to be repealed 1994 - Nelson Mandela was elected president ager a 28- yr imprisonment for figh/ng apartheid à
Mexico 3 branches with a powerful president elected to 1 six- year term Enrique Peña Nietoà A single poli/cal party used fraud & corrup/on to control the gov t more authoritarian than democra/c! Electoral reforms in the 1990s allowed other par/es to compete fairly, but struggling with high debt, a poor economy, & drug wars
Sec/on 25-2 Authoritarian Governments
Communism in Cuba 1959 Fidel Castro established an oppressive Communist dictatorship in Cuba US reac/on: 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion & 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Since the 1990s, a deep economic crisis caused by the loss of Soviet aid, poor sugar prices & the U.S. s 50- year trade embargo 2008 Pres. Raul Castro
North Korea A totalitarian gov t, led by Kim Jong Un, controls all aspects of its ci/zens lives & demands absolute devo/on to Kim despite great na/onal suffering. ( Cult of Personality ) The US has tried to limit their development of chemical, biological, & nuclear weapons.
Islamic Governments Muslim secularists: believe that religious and secular law should be kept separate desire friendly rela/ons with Western na/ons Muslim fundamentalists: believe that Islamic countries should base their legal system strictly on the law of the Quran ogen an/- Western and see Western culture as a threat to Islamic culture
Iran 1979 Muslim fundamentalists, led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, overthrew the pro- capitalist shah, or king, and forced the shah to flee to the US. Since the Islamic revolu/on, rela/ons between the US and Iran have been strained. Current Ayatollah Ali Khamenei à
Saudi Arabia Since 1932 the government has been based on a fundamentalist interpreta/on of Islam with no separa/on of religion & the state. Despite increasing Saudi demands for a modern economy & government, many Americans have accused the Saudi government of indirectly suppor/ng terrorist aqacks against the US.
The People s Republic of China 1949- China became a Communist dictatorship led by Mao Zedongà China has 2 parallel systems of gov t a ceremonial na/onal gov t w/ a legislature & President Xi Jinping à the Chinese Communist Party that s actually in control Politburo top 20 party leaders that make all poli/cal, economic, & military decisions
The People s Republic of China The government: suppresses cri/cism oppresses minori/es maintains /ght control over informa/on (the Internet) The US has recognized their Communist government since 1979 however, tensions remain over their human rights abuses & economic manipula/on
½ Page Cri/cal Thinking Ques/on Should Liu Xiaobo have received the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize? Received for "for his long and non- violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. Involved in the protest at Tiananmen Square & currently under imprisoned
Sec/on 25-3 Interna/onal Organiza/ons
2 Types of Interna/onal Organiza/ons Nongovernmental organiza/ons outside the scope of gov t the Interna/onal Red Cross Intergovernmental organiza/ons composed of members of na/onal gov ts The United Na/ons European Union NATO
The United Na/ons Founded in 1945 193 member na/ons Provides a forum for na/ons to seqle disputes peacefully through coopera/on rather than conflict Based in New York City
Who is NOT in the United Na/ons? Out of 196 countries in the world, 3 are not members
Who is NOT in the United Na/ons? Kosovo Taiwan The Holy See (Va/can City)
Structure of the UN General Assembly Debates world issues 1 vote for each na/on Divides into 6 commiqees: Disarmament & interna/onal security Economics Social & humanitarian issues Decoloniza/on UN administra/on & budget Interna/onal legal maqers
Structure of the UN Security Council 15 na/ons that have the authority to make peacekeeping decisions & call for: End of rela/ons with a country Economic sanc/ons Military force 5 permanent members w/ veto power USA, Russia, China, France, G.B.
Structure of the UN Secretariat conducts the UN s day- to- day business headed by the Secretary General, who carries out the instruc/ons of the Security Council Ban Ki- moon à
Interna/onal Court of Jus/ce (World Court) seqles disputes involving interna/onal law 15 judges meet in the Hague, Netherlands Structure of the UN
Structure of the UN Economic & Social Council promotes social & economic progress around the world. Educa/on, health, human rights
Other UN Agencies special agencies do humanitarian ac/vi/es WHO (World Health Organiza/on) IMF (Interna/onal Monetary Fund) UNICEF (UN Children s Fund) World Bank
UN peacekeeping missions 55 past missions since 1948 (currently 16)) inser/ng an interna/onal force of troops between combatants to calm vola/le situa/ons lightly armed peacekeeping forces may oversee elec/ons or provide humanitarian aid
In- Class Essay: How are various countries portrayed in this cartoon? According to the cartoonist, does the UN seem equipped to effec/vely handle the world s crises? Explain your answer.
Sec/on 25-4 Global Issues
Interna/onal Terrorism Terrorism the use of violence by nongovernmental groups against civilians to achieve a poli/cal goal by shock & awe
Who uses terrorism? Since WWII, most terrorist aqacks on Americans have been carried out by Middle Eastern groups Why?
State- Sponsored Terrorism Several Middle Eastern na/ons have been accused of state- sponsored terrorism terrorism that is secretly supported by a gov t Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran
History of al- Qaeda 1979 Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan Osama bin Laden leg Saudi Arabia to help the Afghans 1988 bin Laden founded al- Qaeda to help the resistance movement Wanted to rid Muslim society of Western influences
History of al- Qaeda Ager training under the Taliban (Afghan Muslim fundamentalists), several terrorist aqacks were conducted against the US, culmina/ng in the 9/11/01 aqacks In response to 9/11, Pres. George W. Bush launched the war on terrorism to fight al Qaeda & the Taliban (NOT Islam!) May 2011 bin Laden was killed by US troops
Nuclear Weapons Threat As nuclear prolifera/on con/nues to threaten global security, the interna/onal community works to contain the spread of nuclear weapons In the 1968 Non- Prolifera/on Treaty, the major nuclear powers agreed: 1. not to provide nuclear weapons technology to other na/ons 2. to promote the safe use of nuclear power 3. to encourage the general disarmament & destruc/on of exis/ng nuclear weapons
Who has nukes? Light Blue: NPT-designated nuclear weapon states (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) Red: Other states with nuclear weapons (India, Pakistan, North Korea) Yellow: Other states believed to have nuclear weapons (Israel) Dark Blue: NATO nuclear weapons sharing states (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey) Green: States formerly possessing nuclear weapons (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, South Africa)
How many Nukes do they have? China: 240 France: 300 Russia: 8420 United Kingdom: 225 (es.mates) United States: about 7650 India: 80-100 Israel: 80 Pakistan: 90-110 North Korea: less than 10
Nuclear Weapons Threat Iran & Syria may have nuclear capabili/es & have both been accused of sponsoring terrorist groups.
Protec/ng the Environment The environment is threatened by: exploding popula/on growth increasing consump/on of natural resources growing discharge of pollu/on
Sustainable Development Con/nued economic development combined with protec/on of the environment Gov ts must balance the economic needs of their na/ons with the environmental needs of a global society.
The US & Environmentalism 1999 - the US backed out of the Kyoto Protocol - established /metables for reducing greenhouse emissions Congress thought the treaty would harm the U.S. economy & didn t do enough to hold developing industrial na/ons accountable
In- Class Essay: Do you agree with the decision of the United States to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol? Explain.
Human Rights Human rights: basic freedoms & rights that all people, regardless of age, gender, or na/onality enjoy Universal Declara/on of Human Rights UN statement of humanity s inalienable rights
The Universal Declara/on of Human Rights Explain how the US is currently or has in the past violated each of your ar/cles. If the US has NEVER violated this right, what other country in the world has?
Prosecu/ng Human Rights Violators United Na/ons: interna/onal criminal tribunals European Union: European Court of Human Rights Interna/onal Criminal Court (ICC) US has refused to par/cipate Why?
Genocide The systema/c extermina/on of a group of people on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, or other defining characteris/c.
Components of Genocide: Systema/c ac/ons taken to destroy or exterminate a group of people based on a specific characteris/c of the group (such as race, religion, ethnicity).
Genocide Conven/on s Legal Defini/on: [A]ny of the following acts commiqed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a na/onal, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflic/ng on the group condi/ons of life calculated to bring about its physical destruc/on in whole or in part Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
20 th Century Examples of Genocide Armenia (1.5 million Chris/ans) The Holocaust (6 million Jews & others) Cambodia (1.7 million non- Communists) Bosnia (Muslims) Rwanda (500,000 Tutsis) Sudan (2 million Dinka, Nuer and Nuba in Darfur) Russia (Chechens)
In- Class Discussion/Essay: What is the interna/onal community s (and the US s) responsibility regarding genocide?