Global Political Economies Chapter 33 Section 1 Teuffer, Karin March 31, 2009 Period 3 Mr. Marshall "Figure 3.1: Trade Routes Intersecting on Atlantica." Map. Atlantica AINER. 29 Mar

Political World at the End of the 20 th Century During the 1980s and 1990s democracy was seen as a way to solve differences between the inhabitants of a nation. (Bulliet 880) Europe: The once communist nations of Eastern Europe turned to democracy in the 1990s after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 (ex: Czech Republic) (state.gov.htm 1) (C) Latin America and Asia: After 1991, Latin American countries experienced changes in the dominating political parties sometimes leading to democracy. In India and Indonesia open political institutions were seen after 1998 and China advanced after 1997 (Ex: Mexico and India) Africa and the Middle East: Some elections have led to leaders taking advantage of power and manipulation while others as in South Africa have moved towards democracy and solved their armed conflicts (Ex: South Africa) (Spodek 755) Countries gained autonomy under the United Nations and the intervention of other nations was restricted to the case of extreme abuse. This international organization (established on October 24, 1945) now had trouble in deciding when to intervene in a countries affairs Ethnic cleansing became a cause for conflicts requiring action from other countries Example: Bosnian independence in 1992 caused Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim inhabitants to fight drastically in the Balkans. The Orthodox Serbs wanted to get rid of the Muslims, and the United States (along with France and Britain) did not interfere until larkoorg/mandela.jpg

Weapons and Terrorism International organizations and agreements have been established to protect people against the harm of weapons of mass destruction The nuclear nonproliferation act of 1978 was one of the agreements signed by different nations around the world to restrict the control and use of these weapons (nti.org 1) Different breaks in the rules have caused periods of increased alert: –In India and Pakistan (two rival countries) in 1998, nuclear bombs were tested openly –China established nuclear weapons tests in 1992 –North Korea also conducted nuclear programs secretly and then openly in 2002 Terrorism is one of the results of the ownership of these weapons (Bulliet 883) These acts of violence, by terrorists, that they believe will cause their rivals to loose their lawfulness can be represented by the series of organizations (Al Qaeda) led by Usama bin Laden since the early 1990s Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 1996 Usama bin Laden had found refuge there as he bombed American embassies in Sudan, as well as the USS Cole, and later on was blamed for the attacks of September 11, He and his followers are against the United States and Saudi Arabia because the U.S.: (Armstrong 270 &271) –supports Israel –has troops in Saudi Arabia –and is a supporter of globalization which is believed to be infecting Islamic culture _nuclear_map416.gif

Globalization Globalization was a theme of the 1990s and at the turn of the millennium when free trade had risen above the state regulated economies of the communist nations and of the powerful Soviet Union (Armstrong 271) Investment opportunities appeared as the world experienced economic growth in the 1990s. There were different communications, such as the internet, bringing people together that enabled countries to seem closer together as well as provide fast transactions of money After the manufacturing and trade boom of the 1990s, China and other nations benefited from private investment. The countries that were not stable and had a low education level or instable legal systems were the only ones to suffer (Bulliet 885) One of the problems of investing was that the money could be immediately withdrawn if the investors felt it was risky. This caused Thailand ‘s currency and stock to drop in The economies that were already large suffered less from recession, such as that of 2001, but they still had a higher per capita income (such as the United States) As part of managing these economies, various trade agreements were formed in individual regions decreasing tariffs and promoting free trade (Ex: MERCOSUR, APEC, ECOWAS, SADC): (Andrea 526) –NAFTA = North American Free Trade Agreement (Mexico Canada U.S.) ended tariffs in 1994 –EU = European Union = Established in 1957 as the European Economic Community changed into the European Union of which the member countries changed their currency to the Euro Other nations experienced economic decline in the beginning of the 21 st century as the benefits of alliances with the powerful countries diminished and funding to nations with low incomes in Africa decreased tegorized/2007/06/13/g8.jpg

Bibliography Andrea, Alfred. The Human Record Volume II: Since Fifth Edition. New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, Armstrong, Monty. Cracking the AP World History Exam Edition. New York, NY: The Princeton Review Inc, BBC. Feb Mar Bulliet, Richard. The Earth and Its Peoples. Third Edition. New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, "Figure 3.1: Trade Routes Intersecting on Atlantica." Map. Atlantica AINER. 29 Mar G8. Bjorn Stigson. 29 Mar Nelson Mandela. 18 Jan Mar NTI. Nuclear threat initiative. 29 Mar United States. U.S. Department of State. Background Note: Czech Republic. Jan Mar