● 8233 enforcement of human rights in industrializing societies

● universality of human rights

● effects of globalization on development (see Four Asian Tigers for Success)

Case Studies for Global Politics

Strongly Related -> 3 points

related -> 2 points

Can be related -> 1 point

Not related at all -> no points

Case Study Unit 1: Power & Sovereignty Unit 2: Human Rights Unit 3: Development Unit 4: Peace and Conflict
Sub-Saharan Africa has
been caught in a poverty
Sub-saharan cycle that has made it
Africa difficult or impossible to
break out of poverty. This
has been exacerbated by
the link between poverty
and disease. HIV/AIDS has
been a particular blight on
sub-Saharan Africa,
accounting in 2007 for
some 68 per cent of
HIV/AIDS cases worldwide
and 76 per cent of all AIDS
deaths. The association
between poverty and civil
conflict, crime, corruption
and state failure has also
 seriously disadvantaged
sub-Saharan Africa
In 2008 Kosovo unilaterally Although Serbia never
declared its independence recognized Kosovo as an
Kosovo from the republic of Serbia independent state, the two
after 9 years of being under states started negotiating in
UN rule. Most countries March of 2011. The talks are
recognized Kosovo’s mediated by the EU and are
independence and the ICJ aimed at three main topics:
stated that they did not regional cooperation, freedom
violate international Law. the of movement and rule of law. So
population in Kosovo is 92% far, the two states ended the
Muslim Albanians and 5% trade embargo, agreed on
Christian Serbians. The freedom of movement across
Justification for the legitimacy administrative borders,
of Kosovo’s declaration is recognized each other’s
rooted in the argument that university diplomas and so on
Kosovars’ rights were abused (emerging positive peace).
under the Serbian regime. Kosovo was nominated to join
The intervention of NATO in to the UN as a sovereign state,
99’ and the presence of but Russia (who is an ally with
international forces in Kosovo Serbia) vetoed.
for a decade are evidence to
the human rights abuse that
took place. Raises the
question of what the criteria
for minority is to justify
secession.
1990s Civil War
The Kosovo was 1994-1998
Former
Yugoslavia
 After Ukraine’s 2014
revolution, Ukraine’s
Crimea and sovereign region, Crimea, was
Ukraine annexed by Russia. This was
made easier by the fact that
Why Ukraine is Crimea’s demographics
trapped in consist of a strong ethnic
endless Russians majority (65% ish).
conflict?- Vox (Can mention political
concepts like identity,
Documentary: ethnicity, language,
Winter on Fire constructivism, realism, etc.)
(on Netflix)
UN Security Council
Resolution 242 was passed in
Israeli-Palest 1967. It requires Israel to
inian withdraw to the borders that
Conflict existed before the 1967 Six
Day War, when Israel
occupied the West Bank,
Just keep in
Golan Heights and Gaza Strip.
mind that IB has
UN Security Council
a rule on
resolutions are binding in
contemporary
international law, yet Israel
case studies.
has not yet withdrawn to the
Information
pre-1967 borders.
outside of the
Furthermore, it has built a
learner’s
security wall around, and
lifetime can be
settlements within, territory
used for context
that is beyond the pre-1967
but the bulk of
borders are no longer
case studies
relevant and that the security
should be
wall is needed to protect the
contemporary
(ASA within the state of Israel from terrorist
learner’s attacks from Palestine.
lifetime)
Boko Haram emerged in 2002
as an anti-west group.
Nigeria - Although they didn’t start as
Boko Haram a military organization, their
acts became more and more
violent. They gained world
recognition when in 2014
they kidnapped 274 girls from
school. Today they control
the most northern part of
Nigeria with an extreme
Sharia law. they are using
children as soldiers and young
girls as suicide bombers.
Venezuela had great
economic and soft power,
Venezuela with the biggest oil reserves
The collapse of in the world and a democratic
Venezuela, government that was praised
explained - Vox world-wide. However,
Inflation rate, although the money was
average invested in education and
health, it increased the
75% of Venezuela’s
population lost 20 pounds,
hospitals are lacking 98%
percent of medical supplies
and 85 out of 100 drugs are
totally unavailable.
Venezuela is in a serious
humanitarian crisis,
however, when aid arrived
While south of Nigeria is
mostly Christian due to
influences from British
powers, the north is mostly
Muslim. The country is
divided almost perfectly to
50/50.
136th on CPI, 152nd on
HDI, gini coefficient of
48. This obviously shows
a correlation between
corruption and
underdevelopment,
which is accentuated if
one considers that
Nigeria’s debt towards
the IMF increased by
500% since the 1990s
because the money
disappeared instead of
going to development.
Venezuela used to be one
of the richest countries in
Latin America, and its
democracy and
government was praised
worldwide. Venezuela’s
economy is solely based on
oil, and it has the biggest
proven oil reservoir in the
consumer prices dependence on oil. After the
- IMF oil crisis, Maduro’s
Venezuela government became more
Needs authoritarian and more and
International more power was given to the
Intervention. army. To keep being in charge
Now. - The New Maduro must prevent a
York Times military coup, which is done
by paying a lot of money to
the army. Since the country is
in deep financial crisis, it
loans billions of dollars,
especially from China. China
invested over 50$ billion in
Venezuela, an investment
that seems to have very low
probability of having any
profit. However, it gives china
a very strong hold in the
region, and access to the
world’s biggest oil reservoir.
Taliban and US intervention:
- Taliban is a terrorist group
Afghanistan that was in power in
Afghanistan between
1996-2001
- UNSC accepted
interventions against threats
to global terrorism, and in
res. 1386 they created the
ISAF to assist Afghani security
- The official government of
Afghanistan was reinstated
to the country it has been
confiscated by the military.
world, following the oil
price crisis in 2014, the
Venezuelan economy
collapsed. Average
consumer prices index
changed from around 100$
in 2014 to over 2K in 2018.
It has the highest inflation
rates in the world (around
950%). It GDP dropped by
35% percent in the last 6
years and the murder rates
are standing at 91 people
per 100,000, one of the
highest in the world. The
poor in Venezuela make
about 82% of the
population
Facts and stats:
- Has received 60bn $ in aid
since 2002 and yet is 169th
on CPI and 169th on HDI
(impact of corruption)
- 7.2% of Afghanistan’s GDP
came from investments by
foreign MNCs in 2016
- Since 2016, foreign AID
has made up on average
76% of Afghanistan’s GDP
- Adult illiteracy is 61.8%
 with the support of US and
Northern Alliance (rebels)
The EU is an IGO which has
many rules that “bend” state
EU sovereignty:
How the euro - Schengen agreement 1985
caused the aimed at abolishing border
Greek crisis? - control inside the EU and
Vox creating a common Visa
policy for all states
- EU regulations that are
adopted and binding and
directly applicable to every
individual member state
- Common external barriers
to trade, meaning that
individual countries are not
allowed to make individual
trade, the common market
does so as a whole
Iraq
Hungary:
- violations of asylum
seekers’ rights by allowing
them to only ask for asylum
from transit zone, not
allowing them to enter
Hungary
- Their “deep border
control” policy allowed
police since 2017 to deport
people out of Hungary
involving physical abuse if
necessary
- Removed people between
the ages of 14-18 from the
child protection system,
going against UN
regulations of Rights of the
Child
- Since 2017 the Hungarian
police has been accused of
beating and torturing
asylum seekers to
discourage them from
coming into Hungary
- Worst score for Gender
development in the world
Bulgaria:
- 5% of Bulgaria’s wealth
comes from EU investment
- In 2013, the EU’s budget
for Bulgaria was 144
million€, representing 39%
of Bulgaria’s GNI
- EU co-financed the
motorway that crosses
almost the entire country
- Since Bulgaria joined the
EU the average income per
agricultural worker
increased by 49%
The question of
development and whether
it would be better with or
without US intervention.
Haiti
Guantanamo bay:
established in 2002 as part
Guantanam of the war on terror. Camp
o Bay is known for violating many
rights, namely 1, 5, 7, 10
and is justified in the name
of increased security. Over
the years 775 detainees
have been brought to the
camp and 9 have died in
custody. Guantanamo costs
the US government 445
million dollars a year, which
is about 7 million per
prisoner per year. The
camp is not on US soil (it is
rented from cuba for 4000$
a year) which put
Guantanamo in a vague
legal situation, which
means that prisoners can
be held without charges for
years. out of 212 Afghan
detainees, almost half were
almost entirely innocent,
mere taliban conscripts or
had been transferred to
Guantanamo with no
reason for doing so on file.
 The second largest dam in
the world on the Narmada
India -
river has been opened on
Sardar September 17, 2017 after a
Sarovar case in the Indian Supreme
Dam Court filed by Friends of
the Narmada River and
multiple protests by local
communities. The World
Bank, an IGO, initially
provided 450 million
dollars loan for the project
but withdrew it later due
to unsolved social and
environmental concerns.
Despite democratic
character of Indian state,
indigenous people were
not fully able to pursue
their rights as the Supreme
Court allowed for
expansion of the dam in
year 2000. 40 000 people
was deprived of their land
and not compensated.
There is breach of first- and
second-generation human
rights.
The dam is estimated to Local groups used non-violent
provide fresh water to 40 protest methods coming from
million people and protect Mahatma Gandhi to protests
210 indigenous villages against flooding their villages.
from flooding. Yet, it would
come at the expense of
destroying natural habitats
in the valley of the river.
It is a question of
sustainable development
whether to prioritise
environment or
infrastructure.

Libya
The Yemen Civil War started
as part of the Arab Spring in
Yemen 2011, with demonstration
The Middle calling to end the 33-year rule
East's cold war, of the president. Due to
explained - Vox international pressure, the
the US maybe president resigned and was
aiding war replaced by his vice
crimes in Yemen president. However, his
- Vox attempts at constitutional
and budget reforms angered
Why are the the Houthi group in the
SAUDIES losing north. By 2014 they took over
in YEMEN? - the capital of Yemen, forcing
VisualPolitik EN
Yemen has been in a state
of Humanitarian Crisis for a
few years now: 1.8 million
children are malnourished,
7 million people are the
break of famine, around
2,000 people died of a
cholera epidemic and there
are over half a million
confirmed cases and there
are not enough drugs as
both sides in the war are
blocking humanitarian aid
– Doctors Without Borders
had to evacuate its
 the government to relocate.
Yemen - World The Saudis, that do not want
Report 2018 | a Shia government on their
Human Rights border back the government,
Watch while the Iranians are
supporting the rebels. This
one out of three current
proxy wars (the others being
Iraq and Syria) carried
between Saudi Arabia and
Iran.
The Islamic State began
Syria
seizing control of territory in
Syria in 2013. After a series of
terrorist attacks coordinated
by the Islamic State across
Europe in 2015, the United
States, the United Kingdom,
and France—with the support
of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and
other Arab
partners—expanded their air
campaign in Iraq to include
Syria. Together, these nations
have conducted over eleven
thousand airstrikes against
Islamic State targets in Syria,
volunteers from the
country. The Saudis are
using cluster bombs which
are forbidden under
international law, and are
destroying schools and
hospitals, all backed and
fueled by the US. since
great powers as using
Yemen for their own
interests (with Saudi Arabia
and the USA backing the
government and Iran
backing the rebels) it is not
probable that humanitarian
intervention will take place
in the foreseeable future.
According to the World
Bank, more than 400,000
people have been killed in
Syria since the start of the
war. The UN reports that
more than 5.6 million have
fled the country, and 6.5
million have been internally
displaced. Many refugees
have fled to Jordan and
Lebanon, straining already
weak infrastructure and
limited resources. More
than 3.4 million Syrians
have fled to Turkey, and
many have attempted to
seek refuge in Europe.
while the U.S.-led coalition
has continued its support for
ground operations by the SDF
(Syrian Democratic Forces. a
military group led by Kurds
from the Democratic Republic
of Northern Syria together
with other ethnic groups).
Turkish troops have been
involved in ground operations
against the Islamic State since
2016, and have launched
attacks against armed Kurdish
groups in Syria. Meanwhile,
at the request of the Syrian
government in September
2015, Russia began launching
airstrikes against what it
claimed were Islamic State
targets, while Syrian
government forces achieved
several notable victories over
the Islamic State, including
the reclamation of Palmyra.
According to the U.S.-led
coalition against the Islamic
State, 98 percent of the
territory formerly held by the
group in Iraq and Syria,
including Raqqa and Deir
al-Zour, has been reclaimed
by Iraqi security forces and
the SDF.
 With Russian and Iranian
support, the Syrian
government has steadily
regained control of territory
from opposition forces,
including the opposition’s
stronghold in Aleppo in 2016.
The regime has been accused
of using chemical weapons
numerous times over the
course of the conflict,
resulting in international
condemnation in 2013, 2017,
and 2018. Opposition forces
have maintained limited
control lin Idlib, in
northwestern Syria, and on
the Iraq-Syria border.

Russian
Intervention
in USA
Elections
Russians linked
to U.S. election
interference
indicted despite
Trump calling
probe a hoax -
PBS NewsHour
 An anarchist movement in
Chiapas, Mexico that
Zapatistas established an autonomous
government.
Roles in the Juntas of Good
Government are rotating
between representatives
from different communities.
A rough geographic region
where ethnic Kurds live.
Kurdistan There’s a movement to create
and the a sovereign Kurd Nation-State
Democratic in partitioned areas of
Federation Northern Iraq, Northern
Syria, and Turkey.
of Northern
Syria After the involvement in the
How Syria’s Syrian war (see unit 4
Kurds are Trying column), the Kurds were able
to Create a to strengthen their fight for
Democracy- an independent Kurd
Vox territory. Multiple ethnicities
in Northern Syria joined to
SYRIA: US ALLY’S form the Democratic
RAZING OF Federation of Northern Syria
VILLAGES with an organized
AMOUNTS TO multi-ethnic militia to fight
WAR CRIMES- both Assad and ISIS
Amnesty
International
Zapatistas oppose
capitalism and have
collectivism-based,
self-sufficient economy.
Prices of goods are decided
by the local community.
Focus on self-realisation is
expressed through learning
practical skills in
indigenous languages.
Yet, level of poverty is
extremely high.
Amnesty International
Claims that the Democratic
Union Party was
committing human rights
violations against
non-ethnic Kurds.
There is continuous military
coercion between Zapatistas
and Mexican government,
including checkpoints and
assassinations.
During the war in Syria, the
Kurdish party the Democratic
Union Party installed a system
where the vowed to protect the
human rights of all ethnic
groups (including Assyrian and
Turkmen) and promoted gender
equality. Then in 2014, ISIS
began attacking, and with
foreign support from the US, the
Kurds maintained and retook
occupied land. The Syrian Kurds
had some of the armies that
were the most effective against
ISIS in the Syrian war which lead
to continued US support.
Despite the countering actions
of Turkey, in 2017 the
Democratic Union Party took
ISIS’ capital in Syria, Raqqa.
 After the Strengthening of
Who are the the Democratic Federation of
Kurdistan Northern Syria, Turkey grew
Workers’ Party worried that they are merely
(PKK) rebels?- a front for the violent Turkish
BBC Kurd separatists the PKK, so
Turkey sent in troops into
Syria in September 2016.
TLDR; Kurds want
independence, infringing on
Sovereignty
Burundi and Uganda don’t
respect the borders of the
Democratic DRC and just cross the
Republic of borders to exploit coltan
the Congo
Later in 2017, Turkey launched
Operation Olive Branch, to
suppress Kurdish forces.
Without the common enemy of
ISIS, and with the US no longer
providing an abundance of
support, the Democratic Union
Party is at a severe
disadvantage.
Workers in the coltan Apple and Samsung The DRC has been through two
mines work 12 hours per electronics use the coltan civil wars – no positive peace.
day and receive 5$ for a exploited from the DRC to The government is very
day of work. make phones worth of 500 unstable, which also allows for
– 1000$. other actors to violates the
DRC’s sovereignty and exploit its
resources.

Costa Rica
Example of the use of Counter Argument for
Collective rights for Liberal Democracies being
Bolivia Indigenous Peoples needed for Development:

We should look Evo Morales, a leader

to Bolivia for sometimes accused of
inspiration- The being overly Authoritarian
Guardian and leader of Bolivia’s
Bolivia|Data - Socialist Regime has been
the World Bank able to lower levels of
extreme poverty and
decrease income inequality
 while raising minimum
wages and social spending,
with sub focuses on
indigenous rights and the
importance of protecting
the environment.
GDP increase from 20
Billion $ in 2010 to 34
Billion in 2016. literacy
rates are above 90%.
percentage of people
underneath the national
poverty line dropped from
52% in 2009 to 38% in
2015
ranked 118 on the HDI
index
The FARC are communist the war between the FARC and
guerrilla movement fighting the Colombian government took
FARC the Colombian government the life of 250 thousand people
Inside FARC's since 1964. only in 2012 did and displaced around 7 million,
Political Future peace negotiation start, in the past 50 years. the Havana
(HBO) which took 4 years to sign. accord signed between the
The UN’s new this was following a crack Colombian government and the
role in Colombia down from the colombian FARC insurgency group is based
can strengthen government which brought on a new tripartite verification
the peace the FARC down from 20,000 mechanism with the UN as a
process during fighters to 6,000-7,000, what third party. This has never been
its most eventually made them come tried before, but from the case
vulnerable to the negotiation table. The study of Colombia it seems to
phase | the FARC agreed to stop all drug have promising results. it is not
London School trafficking and give all a blue helmets operation, and
of Economics weapons to a UN supervised there are no UN troops in
committee in return for no Colombia. the role of the UN
and Political jail time and saved five sits in was to guarantee the trust
Science each of the houses of between the two parties in this
UN Verification congress in Colombia. fragile state of the negotiations.
Mission in it was done by the UN being
Colombia responsible for collecting
weapons from FARC combatants
(with average of 1 weapon per
fighter, much higher than similar
operations) and overlook
integration of FARC fighters into
civilian life.

Rise of Far
Right in
Europe
China has been increasing Despite economic For the last 30 years, China
its soft power by taking capitalism, China has been the fastest
Rising China growing economy in the
position of the US, for remains to be a country
Martin Jacques: example in terms of with restricted political world with annual growth
China's rise to climate action. China is the freedoms. of GDP at rate of 9%,
power | CGTN largest producer of solar becoming the largest
America panels and solar energy. economy in the world.
China's trillion 300 million people
China is also investing a lot
dollar plan to moved to cities in that
of money in countries such
dominate global time.
trade - Vox Atlas
as The Democratic Republic
of the Congo and Absolute poverty in
Why China is China fell from 250
building islands Venezuela, gaining soft
power and economic million in 1978 to 28
in the South million in 2001.
China Sea - Vox influence.
In 1978 China started
Atlas reforming its communist
economy. Since then it
 doubled its gdp 6 times.
More than 200M people
moved from the rural areas
to the urban ones. Its
downsides are: increase in
inequality, mainly between
the urban and the rural
societies which brought its
GIni index from 0.16 to
0.45; massive pollution
causing massive illness and
shoten in life spans; A lot
of separated families due
to urbanization.
After the genocide of 1994, After the genocide, there were
Rwanda was one of the over 800,000 dead, million of
Rwanda poorest countries in the Rwandan displaced in
How is RWANDA world. In 2000 president neighboring countries, 130,000
stepping out of Paul Kagame came into suspects accused of genocide
MISERY? - power, and by looking at crimes and only 36 judges and
VisualPolitik EN development models from 14 prosecutors available. the UN
How did Gacaca Thailand, Singapore and set the International Crime
combine China, he started to rebuild Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in
elements of Rwanda. He did that using Tanzania, where the most
both retributive a plan called “vision 2020” serious violators of the IHL
and restorative which is a list of 44 clear (International Humanitarian
justice and how and accountable goals, Law) were tried. France offered
effective was it which are being checked to send judges to help speed up
in reconciling regularly by the the system, but Rwandan
Hutus and Tutsis government. one of them refused to have foreign
in Rwanda after was promoting gender involvement. The solution was
the 1994 equality, and today to re-establish the Gacaca
genocide? | Rwanda is the country with courts which is a community
the most female based justice system from
Global Politics representatives in the
EE parliament. Besides that,
its GDP is growing 8%
annually (rate similar to
countries like china). Paul
Kagame has been president
for the past 18 years and
wins over 94% percent of
the votes in elections.
- Rwanda is in the top tier
for Gender development,
scoring higher than many
EU countries, and yet has
an HDI ranking of 159
Crisis in
South Sudan
Ebola
outbreak
Since the beginning of 2017
more than 100 male LGBT
Chechnya Chechens were abducted
and detained in torture
pre-colonial times.In its
retributive form Gacaca
punished those who committed
war crimes during the
genocide, treating crime as
done against the state. However
in its restorative form it also
acknowledged crimes between
people and focused on efforts to
reconcile communities through
dialogue. During their time of
operation, the Gacaca courts
completed roughly 1.5 million
cases, and held punishments
which ranged from life
imprisonment to community
service. Despite criticism from
the international community,
today it is commonly agreed
that Gacaca courts were
successful in their mission.
There were two wars between
Chechnya (which declared
independence from Russia in
1991) and Russia, in 1994-1996
 camps because of their and 1999-2000. Between 2000
sexual orientation, and at and 2009 Russia has had an
least 3 have been killed ongoing anti-terrorist operation
extrajudicially. The local in Chechnya to help the country
government justifies this transit from Islamic radicalism
because of Chechnya’s to positive peace. In 2007
semi-autonomous Ramzan Kadyrov was appointed
governing system, and the President of Chechnya with
Islamic background of the Russia’s support. He has since
population and culture. then fully supported Russian
policies on security and fought
Islamic radicalism, while at the
same time economically
developing the country with
financial assistance from the
Kremlin.

Oil crisis of
2014
South china sea is one of the There have been military
richest areas in the world: it clashes involving Chinese,
South China contains 11 billion barrels of Vietnamese, Malaysian and
Sea oil and 5.4 trillion cubic Filipino military vessels as well
Why China is meters of natural gas. as incidents of harassing
building islands Moreover, 30% of the world’s fishermen.
in the South shipping trade goes through It is a traditional interstate
China Sea? - Vox it. Most south-east Asian conflict over territory.
countries base their claims
for some part of it on the UN
law of the sea which states
that a country’s territorial
water extend 200 miles of
their shore. Everything within
 these 200 miles is the
sovereign territory of that
state. China claims that they
have an historical right to
south china sea, and they
mark it using the so-called 9
dash line (a border made out
of 9 dashed lines – obviously
imprecise). China is building
islands there and placing
military bases on them to
slowly but steadily take
control of the region. So far,
the US have released
statements encouraging china
and other south-east Asian
countries to solve the
dispute, and sent its navy to
keep trading routes open.
However, actual international
intervention does not seem
likely.
In the early 1960’s the
global economy was
Four Asian recovering from WW2
Tigers trauma. The four countries’
(Taiwan, governments took
Hong Kong, advantage of the
opportunity to invest
Singapore,
heavily in industrialization,
and South and offering tax incentives
Korea) for foreign investors
(AKA Asian (globalization) , and
Dragons) implementing mandatory
 education for the young
people. Soon after they
began exporting a wide
variety of goods.

They are an anomaly in

Asia, and they fared well
through the 1997 Asian
Economic Crisis and the
2008 Financial Crisis.

Catalonia’s
independen
ce

Smart
Power in
Negotiations
with Iran

OPEC
Proxy war: India provides
military support to
Pakistani-In Afghanistan to fight Pakistani
dian conflict terrorists, like Haqqani
network, who are behind
attacks such as the 2007 and
 2008 Indian embassy
bombings in Kaboul
- Lashker-e-taibe Pakistan
group responsible for 2008
Mumbain bombings, and
Pakistani Taliban responsible
for 30% of India’s terrorist
attacks
- Pakistan isn’t focused on
eradicating terrorism, and
there are arguments that say
this is because the terrorists
damage India in ways
Pakistan otherwise could not
UN peacekeeping:
- African Union mission with UN
Somalia approval to bolster peace and
remove Al-shabaab forces from
Somalia, started in 2007
- Criticism because AMISOM
uses mostly military and violent
means to eliminate Al-shabaab,
and has not focused on
peacebuilding and state-building
- Because of the previous
reason, AMISOM has not been
able to expand peace even in
the areas it liberated in Somalia
Peacebuilding:
- 40 years of conflict between
Northern IRA and British government
Ireland ended with Good Friday
Agreement in 1998
 - since 1994 there had been
negotiations in place to bring all
fighting parties to the table,
including non-state actors such
as Ulster Loyalists and the IRA
which renewed its 1994
ceasefire in 1997
- the agreement itself in 1998
gave political stability to Ireland
and Northern Ireland, being
signed by all political parties
involved and stating Northern
Ireland’s relationship with
Ireland while still being part of
the UK.
Mexico (gini coefficient of
48)
Mexico × States in Mexico that
were least affected by
globalization are the ones
which were seen to be
lagging behind in terms of
poverty and labour in the
1990s.
× Also, during the same
period income in states of
Mexico with low exposure
to globalization decreased
by 10%, and the number of
families in poverty
increased.
× In 2002 32% of Mexico’s
GDP was foreign
investment.
 × NAFTA severely damaged
most Mexican farmers
because of the import of
US subsidised corn.
× Poor Mexicans are
migrating to the US
because of their poverty
level impacted by
globalization, and are then
being employed by the
same companies that put
them out of work.
× After NAFTA, Mexican
average wages dropped by
22%.
- Brief Summary: Britain
supported the Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone Army against the
revolutionary forces trying
to overthrow the
government. Operation
Palliser (7th May 2000 -
September 2000)On 18
January 2002, President
Kabbah declared the Sierra
Leone Civil War (1991 -
2002) over.
- Stakeholders:
Revolutionary United Front
(RUF), Sierra Leone Army
(SLA), British Army
- What happened? After
deciding that the RUF
would not disarm

Three of the major global
powers, US, Russia and China
Rome didn’t sign the statute and are
Statute not accountable to the court.
voluntarily, the British
began training the SLA for a
confrontation against the
rebels.
- Results and facts: The
overall British operation
was mostly completed by
September 2000. The RUF
began to disarm after
political pressure, and later
economic sanctions, were
exerted on Liberia—which
had supported the RUF in
exchange for conflict
diamonds smuggled out of
Sierra Leone. The
government signed a
ceasefire agreement with
the RUF that later led to
the Disarmament,
Demobilisation and
Reintegration (DDR)
process.
The Rome statute from
1998 sets up an
ICC(international criminal
court) which is authorized
to conduct hearings for
breaches of international
law and for crimes against
humanity. They are also
authorized to issue arrest
warrants and launch

Economic embargo on Iraq
was imposed on all trade
Economic from 1990 until 2003.
Sanctions on Multinational Interception
Iraq Force was inspecting vessels
and cargoes carrying loads to
or from Iraq.
During sanctions period, per
capita income decreased
from 3500 dollars to 450
dollars.
Countries through the United
Nations used their economic
power in order to exercise
pressure on a target country.
Norwegian government owns
a large number of shares in
State some of the largest
capitalism in companies in the country
Norway such as Statoil, Telenor, Norsk
Hydro, Yara and Statecraft.
Moreover, it holds 37% of
Oslo stock market.
investigations of against
breaches and crimes. As it
is aimed to complement
existing judicial system, it
can exercise its power only
when national courts
cannot or are unwilling to
prosecute a suspect or
when cases are referred to
the courts by states or the
UNSC.
Economic sanctions are Funds obtained from
likely to have inverse exports of oil merely
impact on citizens as allowed to fund
claimed by the UN. humanitarian aid and there
Approximately 500 000 was little or no funds for
children died in result of development projects.
sanctions, there was severe
malnutrition, lack of
medical supplies and
spread of diseases.
Government of Norway
gains high revenues from
shares as well as sales of oil
and it has established the
Government Pension Fund
Global for post-oil future.
Money is invested in social
 Government has economic services.
power in the country rather
than MNCs or foreign
investors.

Google
maps affect
on
territorial
disputes
Google Maps is
Different in
Other Countries

Kenya 2007 Electoral violence after

President Kibaki was
declared winner.
Supporters of Raila Odinga
claimed there was
electorial manipulation.
Ethnic violence occured
between the two
supporters. UN arrived a
month later and violence
ceased after coalition set
up; Odinga was made
Prime Minister. kibaki was
made President
Ivory Coast Disputed election win
2011 between former president
Laurent Gbagbo and
Alassane Outtara. Violent
conflict between
supporters of both sides
with military. Various war
crimes committed and
Gbagbo was taken to the
ICC for trail. Fighting ended

Past Paper 2 Questions

Power and Sovereignty
Specimen 2014
● To what extent is state sovereignty an outdated concept in the 21st century?
● “Global politics is characterized more by cooperation than by conflict.” Discuss.

May 2014
● Examine the claim that the significance of military power is diminishing in contemporary global politics.
o Oxford Exam Hints
● Discuss the impact of NGOs, MNCs, and international organizations on state sovereignty
o Oxford Exam Hints

May 2015
● Examine the claim that increased interactions and interconnectedness in global politics have fundamentally changed the nature of state
sovereignty.
 o Nicolai example essay
o Oxford Exam Hints
● Power is often assumed to be linked to the possession of, or access to, resources. Discuss the validity of this view
o Oxford Exam Hints

May 2016
● Discuss the claim that power in global politics is mostly exercised through the use of force and
threats.
o Cecilia example essay
o Oxford Exam Hints
o Mark scheme
● Evaluate the claim that state sovereignty creates obstacles for the realization of justice for
individuals and communities.
o Omer Maly example essay
o Oxford Exam Hints
o Mark Scheme

May 2017
● Discuss reasons why the legitimacy of a state may need to be questioned.
o Mark Scheme
● Examine the claim that economically powerful states are able to manipulate global governance
institutions to their advantage.
o Mark Scheme

November 2017
● Examine the claim that state sovereignty is challenged by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations
(IGOs) and other non-state actors (NSAs).
o Mark Scheme
● Evaluate the function and impact of one of the following in dealing with global challenges: Political parties, Intergovernmental
organizations (IGOs), Multinational corporations (MNCs), Informal forums.
o Mark Scheme
Human Rights
Specimen 2014
● “A national or regional approach to human rights enforcement is more effective than a global approach.” Discuss.
● “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights seeks to impose a Western perspective on human rights on non-Western societies.” To what
extent do you agree with this criticism?

May 2014
● Compare and contrast an institutional approach to the ratification and enforcement of human rights (for example, through The Hague
Courts) with non-institutional approaches (for example, through human rights NGOs, such as Amnesty International).
● To what extent do the complex realities and relationships of power in global politics make the concept of human rights an unachievable
ideal?

May 2015
● “Human rights covenants and treaties can limit development in newly industrializing economies.” To what extent do you agree with this
claim?
● Discuss the extent to which cultural relativism can be used to justify different concepts of human rights.

May 2016
● “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) is no longer relevant for dealing with human rights issues in the 21st century.” To
what extent do you agree with this claim?
o Sebas C example essay
o Mark Scheme
● Examine the effectiveness of non-state actors in advancing the protection of human rights.
o Uriel example essay
o Mark Scheme

May 2017
● Examine the claim that human rights as presented in treaties and covenants are not enforceable, and are therefore of little use to
vulnerable populations.
o Mark Scheme
 ● Discuss the claim that development in industrializing countries often violates universal rights to a clean environment and to the
humanitarian treatment of labour.
o Mark Scheme

November 2017
● To what extent has the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provided the basis for contemporary political movements for social
change?
o Mark Scheme
● “Universal rights should take precedence over cultural relativism in the formation of human rights treaties and covenants.” Discuss this
view.
o Mark Scheme

Specimen Paper 2017

● ‘the universal declaration of human rights (1948) seeks to impose western view of human rights on non western societies’ to what extent
do you agree with this claim?
○ Uriel Example Essay

Development
Specimen 2014
● Evaluate the claim that development is impossible to measure.
● “The biggest obstacle to development in developing countries is debt.” Discuss.

May 2014
● Evaluate the claim that development through aid relies heavily on a stable government and a lack of corruption.
● The fundamental weakness of development goals (such as the Millennium Development Goals) is their lack of focus on how targets are
actually to be achieved. To what extent do you agree with this claim?

May 2015
● Evaluate the view that globalization harms rather than benefits the poorest people in countries with the lowest incomes.
o Sebas C Example Essay
 ● Discuss the view that sustainable development will never be achieved until state and non-state actors can be persuaded or forced to act
in the common interest.
o Benjy Example Essay

May 2016
● Discuss the view that social factors such as gender relations or migration can both help and hinder development.
o Khan T example essay
o Mark Scheme
● Examine the view that successful development cannot be achieved without addressing political
inequality
o Sebas C example essay
o Mark Scheme

Specimen 2017
● Discuss the view that the biggest obstacles to development in today’s world are political.

May 2017
● Evaluate the claim that inequality encourages, rather than prevents, development.
o Mark Scheme
● To what extent is the achievement of political and social stability essential for development?
o Mark Scheme

November 2017
● “Definitions of development that stress meeting basic needs should be replaced with definitions that focus on well-being.” Discuss this
statement.
o Mark Scheme
● Discuss the view that harmful environmental factors represent the greatest threat to successful development
o Mark Scheme
Peace and Conflict
Specimen 2014
● “Truth and reconciliation commissions are the most effective way to foster peace.” To what extent do you agree with this claim?
● Evaluate the claim that humanitarian intervention is a justifiable intrusion into the sovereignty of a state.

May 2014
● “Transforming armed conflict towards peace relies on an interrelationship of peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace building.” Discuss.
● “If a person died from tuberculosis in the eighteenth century it would be hard to conceive of this as violence since it might have been
quite unavoidable, but if he dies from it today, despite all the medical resources in the world, then violence is present” (Galtung). To what
extent do you agree with the view that those in power have an obligation to identify and prevent structural violence?

May 2015
● Peacebuilding is arguably more important than peacemaking, yet it is given much less funding and attention. To what extent do you
agree with this claim?
● Discuss why non-violent protest is sometimes able to achieve success against even the most powerful of opponents

May 2016
● Evaluate the success of third-party involvement in transforming one intra-state conflict away from violence and towards positive peace.
o Mark Scheme
● “The use of violence can never be legitimate.” Discuss the validity of this claim, with reference to at least one violent conflict you have
studied.
o Caterina example essay
o Mark Scheme

Specimen 2017
● Examine the view that peace can be defined as the absence of physical violence

May 2017
● Compare and contrast two different approaches to peacemaking in one armed conflict you
have studied.
o Mark Scheme
 ● Discuss the view that peace is more than simply the absence of war
o Mark Scheme

November 2017
● Examine the claim that contrasting material interests are the main cause of conflicts.
o Giang Example Essay
o Mark Scheme
● Discuss the view that non-violent protest are the only way to achieve lasting change in conflicts between the state and non-state actors.
o Mark Scheme