Nov. 20th Domestic Politics, Crime

Reviewers: Middle EastAli F, Sarah W, and Rema B

IF Ch. 10: Domestic Social and Political Systems

1.) What are the three major sociopolitical characteristics, and what are some examples of each?

1.) Life Condition: income and wealth, life expectancy, fertility rate, literacy rate, education level, calorie availability or nutrition level, access to safe water and air

2.) Social Organization: (a) Formal aspects- level of democratization

and general policy orientation of the government (i.e., economic liberalization and patterns of spending)(b) Less Formal- level of social trust, extent of corruption in economic and political life, the social status of women, and the level of peacefulness or violence in a society

3.) Culture and Values: patterns of belief and behavior rooted in religious and cultural foundations

2.) What is the HDI and what does it measure? What has the general global trend been in recent years regarding the HDI?

• HDI- Human Development Index, which measures development across income, education, and life expectancy (ranges from 0 to 1.0)

• The life conditions of the global poor have been increasing in recent decades, driven by progress in China and Brazil, but Sub-Saharan Africa has made minimal progress

1.) What are some examples of conditions that appear to change over time by way of a “sweet spot”, “steady slog”, and “systematic shift?”

• Individual life conditions, such as literacy rate, appear to have a “sweet spot” rapidly improving at $3,000-$5,000 GDP per capita PPP.

• Sociopolitical changes, such as the status of women as a function of GDP per capita, tend to demonstrate a “steady slog” improving at a relatively steady, slow pace.

• Global social changes, such as Total Fertility Rate, demonstrate a “systematic shift”. TFR rapidly declined between 1980 and 2002 regardless of development level, which reflects changes in family planning technology and values on family size.

Chapter 5: Global Problems

Crime: Gun Stats

• According to the book, does having a gun in the home provide more or less security to the homeowners?

• It provides less security because it is 22 times more likely to be used against a family member by accident, four times more likely to be used in a suicide and 22 times more likely to be used in an act of domestic violence than it is to be used against an intruder.

• In 2004, gun related homicides took the lives of 29 british, 200 canadians, and 9,484 Americans.

International Drug Trade

• What are some examples of drugs used in international drug trades and their effects? Why do certain drugs become used in the way they are now which is not usually their original intent?

• Opium, Cocaine, Cannabis, and Alcohol are all widely used drugs with historical origins such as: cocaine which was originally used in tea as a hunger suppressant and mild stimulant but then became exploited in the capitalist market to be sold world wide in it’s extremely addictive and dangerous powder form.

• What are your thoughts on the US having the highest incarceration rate out of every country in the world? Is your country on this list? What are some factors that contribute to how and why people are incarcerated in different countries?

Incarceration

Opportunity and Order

• What can be done to address crime?

• Some people think restoring and enforcing order will solve the problem and some think providing opportunity will solve the problem...what do you think?

Annual Edition #24

Question 1

• What is the CICIG and what are some of the accomplishments they did?

Question 1: Answer

• The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala plays a fundamental role in the corrupted and weak government.

• The CICIG announced the detailed findings on the murder of Rosenberg, the Guatemalan Lawyer, that concluded that the murder was staged by himself to call attention to the killing of his son.

• CICIG investigations also led to the arrests of former president, Portillo, on corruption charges.

Question 2

• How has the US been involved in trying to solve the crime issues of Central America? Do you think it has been effective?

Question 2: Answer• The US backed Merida Initiative started under George W. Bush has

extended to the Obama administration and has essentially sought to assist Mexico, the provision of various kinds of equipment and training, in its enormously difficult fight against drug- fueled violence and organized crime.

• Launched the Central America Regional security Initiative, which lists a set of laudable aims and proposes to devote $165 million to supporting law enforcement and judicial institutions.

• For Washington a broader strategy would, for example focus seriously on stemming continuing flow of arms and money from US to the region; fostering more genuine cooperation among Central American govts. and Latin American countries and yielded disappointing results.

Annual Edition #35

Question 1

• What were the three scenarios that Kishore Mahbubani predict for post Lee Kuan Yew rule?

Question 1: Answer

1. A smooth transition and continuation of the current political system

2. A significant reversal of Lee’s Legacy3. Continued domination of the government by

the People's Action Part but with greater opposition.

Question 2

• What were some challenges that Lee faced while stabilizing Singapore’s government upon independence

Question 2: Answer• Singapore has almost no natural resources• There is a mixture of Chinese, Malays, Indians, and other

groups that have yet to create a strong cultural ethnic group.– Lee’s rule consolidated a population that may otherwise have

engaged in ethnic conflict. • Attracting long term foreign investment was a concern

because of labor unions and strikes– Lee passed new legislation that allowed longer working hrs, cut

holidays, and granted greater control over hiring, firing, and promoting workers in order to shake power of the unions

– Also gave employees sick leave and unemployment compensation.

Question 3

• If a country has a stable government that is moving forward and continues to develop the nation but is not democratic, do you believe democracy is necessary?