Question 1
NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The organization is formed by an intergovernmental military alliance between European countries and North Americans based North Atlantic Treaty. NATI is made up of 29 countries. Under Article 4 of NATO, a meeting can be convened by any member country for consultation if the country feels its security or independence is threatened. Article 5 is the keystone of NATO and is known as one for all and all for one. It shows that an attack on one member is an attack on all others and that calls for collective defense.
Question 2
European Union is made of 28 member states and it is meant for economic and political union. The members are primarily based in Europe. The European Union has its roots in the Steel community and European Coal as well as European Economic Community (EEC) which were established during the 1951 and 1957 treaties in Paris and in Rome. Initially, it was used to be called European communities and composed of the inner six: Luxembourg, France, Belgium, West Germany, and the Netherlands. There are several major institutions set up by the EU. They include the European Council, European Parliament, European Commission, European Union Council, and European Union court of justice as well as the European Central Bank.
Question 3
Brexit is Britain’s withdrawal from the EU THROUGH the 23 June 2016 referendum. In 2013, then Prime Minister David Cameron decided to hold a referendum on the UK remaining or leaving the EU. The voting was then set on June 23, 2016. Cameron was of the opinion for the UK to remain in the EU. However, there are influential people who joined the Brexit campaign like Boris Johnson, who was the mayor of London. In the end, though with a narrow margin most of the Britons decided to exit. Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty states that any EU member can withdraw according to their constitutional requirement.
Question 4
Emmanuel Macron is the president of France. The president is elected through a direct popular vote. For one to be declared as the president he or she must attain more than 50 percent of the votes cast. The term of office for the president is five years though formerly it was seven years. The two main political parties in France include the socialist party and the popular Republican Party.
Question 5
A)According to the video Europe is faced with several issues such as security, the effects of Brexit, and elections in most of the European countries.
b) There are several major elections in 2017 which including; the French presidential elections, German elections, British local elections, and the Dutch general elections.
c) Italy’s parliament has two houses chambers that are the upper and the lower house. No law can pass without the approval of the two houses. There are two votes for the Italian one for each house. 37 percent will get the seats through the first-past-the-post system (direct election) while 64 % is through proportionality (indirect). The latter will be divided proportionally to the parties in accordance with their performance country-wide. It therefore means that 232 seats and 102 seats will go to the lower and upper house respectively through the first-past-the-post winners. However, for the party to get the seats they require to have a minimum of 3% of the votes in upper and lower houses but for the case of a coalition, it rises to 10 percent.
Question 6
- Russia is expected to face several issues in 2017-18. One issue is that Russia will run out of funds as a result of low energy prices and EU sanctions. There is an election in 2018 which is expected to use the national wealth funds. Besides, there is an expectation of privatization of state-owned companies such as Rosneft. There will also be a continuation of an internal power struggle between regional governors and oligarch’s liberal energy firms. There is the likeliness of Russia increasing lobbying efforts.
- Vladimir Putin is the current Russian president. Vladimir Putin is one leader who is trusted by few in doing the right thing on matters concerning international affairs. The influence and power of Russia are the main threat to the nation. There is doubt by the majority of people about Putin’s commitment to global civil liberties.
- Poland is expected to be the leader of Eastern Europe. As such, Washington is seen increasing military power in the nation. The country expects to transform it, vision group, into a military and political platform. as such, they will do so as a way of countering Russia.
- Poland wishes to increase its military by 50 % in 2017-18. More so, they also want to increase its spending to 62 USD billion from 32 USD Billion. More so, as they counter Russia they will search for allies and at the same expands its relations with Ukraine.
The PowerPoint: The Middle East Shatterbelt
Question 1
The Arab spring is a wave of revolution for both non-violent and violent protests, demonstrations, civil wars, and foreign interventions in the Middle East and North Africa. The revolution started in Tunisia on 18 December 2010 and is known as the Tunisian revolution. The Arab spring has had some successes like governmental changes in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen. There was an overthrow of dictatorial governments through peaceful and violent protests. As such, there was a democratic transition in the Middle East since the oppressive regimes were ousted. A good example is Tunisia which in 2014 held parliamentary elections and adopted a modernist constitution. All in all, there were also several failures that have been observed. In Yemen for instance, there is widening ethnic tension. Syria and Libya on the other hand are experiencing endless civil wars. Their reason as to why it is failing is due to the fact that they lack political alternatives to military and Islamism rule.
Question 2
Arab League is an organization in Arabia and in the horn of Africa. Its roots can be traced to 22 march 1945 when it was formed in Cairo with six members. The main aim of its formation was to build a good relationship among its members and at the same coordinating collaboration between them.
Question 3
OIC is an Islamic organization that stands for the collective voice of Muslims. Its mission is that of safeguarding and protecting Muslim interests through the spirit of harmony and peace. The Islamic development bank plays the role of providing financial help to less developed nations.
Question 4
OPEC is an international organization involved in oil production. The organization was founded in 1960 in Baghdad. They unify and coordinate policies of petroleum of the member states. Through this, they ensure the oil markets are stable thus securing an effective and regular petroleum supply. Some of the highest oil production in the Middle East include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela.
Question 5
The Israel Knesset has 120 members. The two major political parties in Israel include LIKUD and YISRAEL BEITENU.
Question 6
It is expected that in the near future Turkey will experience foreign policy tensions, civil unrest an unsettled economy due to threats by terrorist groups. The just concluded elections paved way for president Tayyip to have a presidential system of government. Turkey currently has a republic of a secular parliamentary representative where the government is headed by a prime minister and the state is headed by a president. The largest political parties in turkey include people’s Republican and democratic people’s parties. Some of the challenges that the government is facing is the adoption of the new referendum. Another challenge that turkey is facing is security as it has suffered a series of bombing and violent attacks.
From Class discussion and the video “Geopolitical Analysis 2017-18: Middle East”
Question 1
Israel has an option of resolving conflict with Palestine under the Trump administration. Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital against the Arab allies such as Jordan.
Question 2
The Palestinian Authority is planning for peace deals in 12017-18. The government has reaffirmed that it is prepared and committed to achieving historic deals. President Abbas is seen in the country’s crisis. He is no longer entitled to think outside of his self-imposed bubble. As such, he reiterates the credential d peacemaking to Israel. More so, he reiterates this through his commitment to combating extremism and terrorism.
Question 3
Iran has given unprecedented access to the international inspectors to the nuclear program. As such the EU and USA have lifted sanctions making Iran have a stable economy.
Question 4
The prospect for Libya is that it follows the field of truth. In this case, they are open to diverse and free opinions whether they are contradicting or not. All the same, they do not have a chance for human rights abuses, discrimination aversion, and abuses. They aim at debating and dialoguing on a free platform.
Question 5
There are several ways in which Egypt can reform its economy and security through financial assistance. Through the IMF the country can have inclusive growth. Moreover, the country can achieve economic reform through a public sector cap. The country has secured a $12 billion id package which has stabilized the economy.
Question 6
Saudi Arabia is having major economic plans with a vision of 2030. One way of achieving its goals is by cracking down on corruption. Besides, the country aims at investors who would come and put their monies in the country.
Question 7
What Yemen is experiencing is not new if looked deep into history. Before 1990, Yemen was divided into North and south. The country is one of the poorest in the region as it has the lowest GDP. The situation will lead to a continuation of unrest in the region thus creating more problems. Al-Qaida will continue posting threats to the country since Yemen is a breeding ground for Militia groups.
Question 8
The Islamic world is in crisis from West Africa to Central Asia. The crisis does not only encompass the Middle East but also other parts of the world. In Syria for instance, there would be no return of the Assad family. However, there is the likelihood of an emergency in other groups. The collapse of ISIS may as well stabilize the area. Iraq has been known for warfare cycles, crippling sectarianism, and state extremist movement. There has been peace negotiation in the country this year thus strengthening communities and institutions. There has been a halt to violent feuds which in turn re-stabilize communities and save lives.
Current Events (5 points)
1) Write a two-paragraph review of the 60 minutes report from March 18 titled “The Saudi Crown Prince speaks to 60 minutes.” (5 points)
Mohammed bin Salman is the de facto ruler of Saudi. In the 60 minutes interview, he stated that through his crackdown on corruption he has netted more than $100 billion. It is through his father’s tenor that has acquired a lot of knowledge. It was through this interview that he revealed that have allowed women to drive in the country. The prince indicated they believe in human rights principles. However, it should be noted that there are differences in standards in America and in Saudi Arabia. He noted that they are trying to mend the shortcomings.
The prince said that he would like to keep his personal life to himself when he was asked $500 million yacht and a French Chateau that cost $300 million. More so, he failed to explain about some members of the royal family who are alleged to acquire billions from the government. However, he stated that he is not a poor man as far as private expenses are concerned.
