1. Aim: Is globalization a good idea?
Period 6: 1900 – 2019

2. The Green Revolution 1930s – 1960s
The Green Revolution began when scientists created new, high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that increased harvests. The Green Revolution mostly affected agriculture in the Philippines, Pakistan, Mexico, India, and other developing nations. Poor infrastructure, high transport costs, and limited investment in irrigation reduced the impact of the Green Revolution in Africa.

3. The Green Revolution Continued…
Rachel Carson, a scientist, wrote Silent Spring (1962) warning against the use of pesticides such as DDT, arguing they harmed birds and contaminated the world food supply. The book's famous chapter, "A Fable for Tomorrow," depicted a nameless American town where all life -- from fish to birds to human children -- had been "silenced" by the effects of DDT.
CRITICISM: “…DDT kills mosquitoes, which carry malaria, which was all but eradicated before DDT was banned… According to these CDC figures, malaria kills more than 800,000 children under age five every year… a disease once nearly eradicated. Ponder that.”

4. The World Wildlife Fund
“The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries... WWF’s unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.” “WWF International, the world's largest conservation group, has been accused of "selling its soul" by forging alliances with powerful businesses which destroy nature and use the WWF brand to "greenwash" their operations… "WWF is a willing service provider to the giants of the food and energy sectors, supplying industry with a green, progressive image … On the one hand it protects the forest; on the other it helps corporations lay claim to land not previously in their grasp. WWF helps sell the idea of voluntary resettlement to indigenous peoples," says Huismann…” "If I were reincarnated I would wish to be returned to earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels" - Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, leader of the World Wildlife Fund, Dec 1995.

5. The Global Environment
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the UN’s Convention on Climate Change, which aims to set internationally binding emission reduction targets. Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities." The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 and entered into force in The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“US President George W. Bush said in a Danish TV interview aired Thursday that adhering to the Kyoto treaty on climate change would have "wrecked" the U.S. economy…” 2005
June 1, 2017, US President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would cease all participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation. Trump stated that "The Paris accord will undermine economy," and "puts at a permanent disadvantage." 2017

6. The Global Environment Continued…
“Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals1 show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities.”
The question of HOW to deal with climate change is highly political.
Cap and Trade sets an overall cap, or maximum amount of emissions per time period. The cap is chosen in order to achieve a desired environmental effect. Unused “credits” can then be traded on the global market.
Cap and Trade Debate:
Is it fair that China and India, today’s largest producers of carbon emissions, have to cap their emissions when the US has already undergone its industrial revolution?
The WWF (World Wildlife Fund) purchased a large portion of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest to save it from deforestation, allowing it to sell carbon credits worth approximately 60 Billion Dollars. Is this a good idea?

7. The Spread of Democracy
Source: The Economist

8. The Spread of Democracy Continued…
In Favor of…
Against…
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” FDR
“There is a cult of ignorance in the US, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov
“China has to go along with world trends. That's democracy, liberty, individual freedom. China sooner or later has to go that way. It cannot go backward.” Dalai Lama
“Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in ancient Greek republics: Freedom for slave owners.” Vladimir Lenin

9. America does not always like the outcomes of international democratic elections.
The Democratic Election in Gaza: “The radical Islamic movement Hamas won a large majority in the new Palestinian parliament … Hamas claimed 76 of the 132 parliamentary seats… The election results stunned U.S. and Israeli officials, who have repeatedly stated that they would not work with a Palestinian Authority that included Hamas, which both countries and the European Union have designated as a terrorist organization.”
“Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections, Complicating Peace Efforts in Mideast” By Scott Wilson Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, January 27, 2006
The Democratic Election in Crimea: “More than 96 percent of Crimeans who voted in the region's disputed referendum backed breaking away from Ukraine and joining Russia… President Obama emphasized that the Crimean ‘referendum,’ which violates the Ukrainian constitution and occurred under the duress of Russian military intervention, would not be recognized by the United States and the international community,” the White House said in its statement. “Crimea Votes to Secede From Ukraine as Russian Troops Keep Watch” By DAVID HERSZENHORN MARCH 16, 2014

10. Spread of Democracy Continued…

11. What Should the Role of the UN Be?
Since the end of the Cold War, the United Nations has sought to reestablish its role as the world's peacekeeper and defender of human rights.
Case Study: Rwanda Genocide 1994
“A report assessing UN involvement in Rwanda said that the UN and its member states failed Rwanda in deplorable ways in 1994, ignoring evidence that a genocide was planned, refusing to act once it was under way and finally abandoning the Rwandan people when they most needed protection... Coupled with another self-critical analysis of the UN role in the fall of Srebrenica during the Bosnian war, the report is sure to fuel the growing international debate about the imperative of the UN and its member governments to stop grave violations of human rights.” By Nicole Winfield Associated Press December 16, 1999

12. UN Peacekeeper in Rwanda, 1994
Norwegian Peacekeeper during the Siege of Sarajevo,

13. UN Declaration on Human Rights, 1948
1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude No one shall be subjected to torture Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty… 25. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services 26. Everyone has the right to education...

14. UN and women's rights:
“UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women…”

15. 9/11 changed the way the world viewed and responded to terrorism.
“On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic [terrorist] group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.”

17. The European Union
“The EU is a unique economic and political partnership between 28 European countries... The EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea being that countries who trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict. The result was the European Economic Community (EEC), created in 1958, and initially increasing economic cooperation between six countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands… What began as a purely economic union has evolved into an organization spanning policy areas, from development aid to environment. A name change from the EEC to the European Union (EU) in 1993 reflected this. The EU is based on the rule of law: everything that it does is founded on treaties, voluntarily and democratically agreed by all member countries. These binding agreements set out the EU's goals in its many areas of activity.”

19. Cyprus and the EU Crisis
March 2013: “Cypriots protest against the EU bailout, which would require a one-time tax on bank deposits.”
Depositors at bailed-out Cyprus' largest bank will lose 47.5% of their savings exceeding 100,000 euros ($132,000)... The figure comes four months after Cyprus agreed on a 23 billion-euro ($30.5 billion) rescue package with its euro partners and the IMF. In exchange for a 10 billion euro loan, deposits worth more than the insured limit of 100,000 euros at the Bank of Cyprus were raided in a so-called bail-in to prop up the country's teetering banking sector. The savings raid prompted restrictions on money withdrawals and transfers for all banks to head off a run.

20. NAFTA
“On January 1, 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico (NAFTA) entered into force... NAFTA created the world's largest free trade area, which now links 450 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services...” CRITICISM: “…NAFTA made it possible for many U.S. manufacturers to move jobs to lower-cost Mexico… Since labor is cheaper in Mexico, many manufacturing industries moved part of their production... Between 1994 and 2002, the U.S. lost 1.7 million jobs, gaining only 794,00, for a net loss of 879,000 jobs. Nearly 80% of these jobs were in manufacturing... These industries included motor vehicles, textiles, computers, and electrical appliances.” By Kimberly Amadeo

21. World Bank Headquarters, D.C.
The IMF and World Bank
“During and immediately after the Second World War, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other allied nations engaged in a series of negotiations to establish the rules for the postwar international economy. The result was the creation of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank at the July 1944 Bretton Woods Conference … at an international conference in Geneva in October 1947.”
World Bank Headquarters, D.C.
IMF Headquarters, D.C.

22. World Bank and IMF: Criticism
“Critics… are concerned about the conditions imposed on borrower countries...IMF conditions may additionally result in the loss of a state’s authority to govern its own economy as national economic policies are predetermined under IMF packages… Additionally, many infrastructure projects financed by the… World Bank Group have social and environmental implications for the populations in the affected areas ... For example, World Bank-funded construction of hydroelectric dams in various countries has resulted in the displacement of indigenous peoples of the area... There are also criticisms against the World Bank and IMF governance structures which are dominated by industrialized countries. Decisions are made and policies implemented by leading industrialized countries—the G7—because they represent the largest donors without much consultation with poor and developing countries.”

23. A Global Culture?

24. Summary Questions What was the Green Revolution? What was its impact?
What was Rachel Carson’s argument in Silent Spring? How is this a global issue? What are some criticisms?
What is the WWF? What are its goals? What are some criticisms?
What was the Kyoto Protocol? Why did the US not participate? What is cap and trade? Is the world dealing with climate change effectively?
What are the pros and cons of spreading democracy? Where has the push of democracy failed?
What is the role of the UN? What are the main points in the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights? Can the UN enforce them? What are some criticisms of the UN?
How has the world changed since 9/11?
What is the European Union and its purpose? What is BREXIT? What are some other criticisms of the EU?
What is NAFTA? What are the pros and cons?
What are the IMF and World Bank? What are the pros and cons?
Is there a true global culture today?

25. Key Vocabulary
Al-Qaeda BREXIT Cap and Trade European Union (EU) Global Warming Green Revolution International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kyoto Protocol NAFTA Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring UN Declaration on Human Rights World Bank World Wildlife Fund (WWF)