Bec’s Classes

In the early 21st century, nuclear weapons remain a threat to world peace. Many countries possess nuclear weapons and the continued proliferation of them has created a regional arms race such as with India and Pakistan. These countries are said to have come close to nuclear confrontation in 1990. Other weapons of mass destruction such as chemical and biological weapons remain a threat, especially in what have been called ‘rogue’ stats such as Iraq and North Korea. Nuclear war or a nuclear strike or a nuclear accident like at Chernobyl in the USSR in 1986 would have global consequences. Radioactivity knows no boundaries. The problem of nuclear weapons is a problem that requires global cooperation.

Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as “Nuclear Weapon States” by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Non-proliferation refers to the attempts to end this spread.

Challenges to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Obama’s Prague Speech on Disarmament

Read the handout on studywiz and use the resources below to take notes on disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Use the following questions to guide your notes:

1. What is disarmament?
2. What is the UN Security Council and what is its role? Who are the members and how is the security council structured?
3. Why do nuclear weapons present a particular problem in the age of terrorism?
4. What was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and when was it introduced? What were the provisions in this treaty?
5. List all of the states which have signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty since 1968.
6. Which nations have refused to sign the Treaty? What reasons might they have for refusing to do so?
7. Identify the series of important nuclear arms control and disarmament treaties following the NPT.
8. What evidence is there to suggest that the US abandoned their NPT commitments?
9. Why did the Russian therefore deploy a new generation of nuclear missiles?
10. Why has there been a move against nuclear disarmament?
11. Was evidence from Australia is there to show a move against nuclear disarmament?
12. What efforts has the international community made to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons?

Resources

UN – Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

UN Disarmament Education

UN – Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Our last small topic for Unit 2 Geography is to look at the characteristics and impact of change on a rural community. Today’s lesson will provide background information on rural environments, as well as some of the negative impacts of rural decline. Strategies that are being used by various regional communities to maintain populations will also be looked at. This will get you ready for an open book small assessment task on Friday.

At the beginning of the lesson, I will present a keynote presentation I have put together on the characteristics of urban areas. This is uploaded to studywiz.

Following this, you will need to complete the following tasks.

Task 1 – The Yarra Valley

Using the handout provided on studywiz – The Yarra Valley – answer the following questions:

1. Describe the geographic characteristics of the Yarra Valley (include detail on location, climate, soils and topography)
2. Suggest why the Yarra Valley is so popular with day trippers.
3. Which towns do you think will grow in response to the region’s growing popularity?
4. How has the Yarra Valley changed over time in terms of human activities? Why have these changes occurred?
5. Look at figure 2.4.12. What is the general trend in the population characteristics from 1991 to 2006? Can you explain why this might be occurring?
6. What are the current land uses in the Yarra Valley? How has this contributed to the increased popularity of the region?
7. How have the following groups managed the change occuring in the Yarra Valley:

* Individuals
* Local Government
* Regional Organisations
* State Government

8. What planning has been undertaken to prepare for growth in the Yarra Valley? Explain this in detail.

Task 2 – Rural Decline

Australia’s rural communities are often less well off economically and socially than communities in urban areas, especially metropolitan centres. People living in rural areas generally have less access to health, educational and other facilities and fewer employment opportunities than people in urban areas.

One of the key issues now facing many of Australia’s rural communities is their demographic sustainability. Currently, around 120 regional areas of Australia are experiencing marked population decline, while 74 areas have suffered annual population loss since 1974.

The loss of population in rural communities has a subsequent impact on other aspects of their sustainability. This is particularly the case in terms of demographic, economic and social sustainability of small towns.

Your task is to complete a detailed analysis of the impacts of population decline on rural areas. A template, along with guiding questions has been uploaded to studywiz – Impacts of Rural Decline. Use the resources below to provide detailed examples. There is also an article uploaded to studywiz called Responding to Change in Rural Communities. This will help you with this task.

Resources

Cafe Owner Fears Rural Decline Newspaper Article

The Future of Australian Country Towns

Small Town Decline and Survival

The Australian – ‘Oasis Towns’ Vital to Rural Growth

Rural Australia and the Need for Reform

Task 3 – The Role of Planning in Sustainable Rural Communities

While sustainability of areas in decline is a problem for rural communities, it is often also considered a challenge. Rural towns must develop strategies that will ultimately maintain populations and/or provide injections into the local economy. A number of strategies have been used around Australia, including:

• Tourism
• Focus on transport infrastructure
• New vision agriculture, including intensive horticulture
• The retirement/’grey dollar’ market
• Initiatives to provide incentives to set up businesses

The Courier Mail – Block of Land Selling for $1

Tourism Victoria: Benefits of Tourism

Your task is to complete a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) for one of these strategies (tourism or cheap land). Use the template uploaded to studywiz – SWOT Analysis Template – to help with you note taking.

In 2000, the UN established eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These included:

These goals form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by 2015. The following You Tube video provides an overview of these goals.

Nine years have past since the UN Millennium Goals began. The following powerpoint provides an overview on the progress of each of these goals.

Your Task

1. Using the resources provided in this blog post, create notes on the UN Millennium Development goals.
2. How do the UN Millennium Development Goals indicate International Cooperation? Why is this important?
3. How is Australia contributing to the meeting of these goals? Research how AusAID (Australia’s aid program) have contributed to one of the development goals. The following site – AusAID Millennium Development Goals - will provide the detail that you need to answer this question.

Resources

United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Visualising the Millennium Development Goals

The World Bank – An Online Atlas of the Millenium Development Goals

Debate rages about the effects of globalisation and multinational corporations on low income countries like China, India, Uganda, Nigeria, Thailand, Vietnam, Chad, South Africa and Bangladesh. Some researchers claim that these developments have helped to lift living standards and hope for millions of people while others say that they have only added to the misery of the world’s poor. This week we will look at the impacts of globalisation on low income countries, as well as how high income countries are attempting to reduce this gap.

Task 1 – Globalisation and Low Income Countries

Read the handout on studywiz – The Effects of Globalisation on Low-Income Countries – and take notes on:

1. The Benefits of Globalisation
2. Costs of Globalisation

Use the sub-headings to guide your note taking!

Foreign Aid

Foreign aid represents the transfer of funds and other types of assistance by governments and private individuals from high income to lower income countries. If used properly, aid can be an important way of helping poor countries to improve their living standards. Most importantly, this assistance can help to break the vicious cycle of poverty and raise per capita incomes. It does this by raising the funds available for investment, lifting efficiency and accelerating productive capacity.

The PowerPoint – What is Foreign Aid? – provides an overview of the types and forms of Foreign Aid. Use this PowerPoint to create your notes on Foreign Aid.

Aims of AusAID

However, not all agree that foreign aid will reduce poverty.

Task 2 – Foreign Aid Article

Read the article – For Aid, Just Help Yourself - on studywiz and answer questions A-G at the end of the article.

Other Resources

Global Education – Australia’s Aid Program

Map of Australian Aid to Developing Countries

2009-2010 Commonwealth Budget – Australia’s International Development Assistance Program

AusAID: The Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program

The purporse of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and to be a centre for harmonising the actions of nations in attaining these ends.

Taken from Wise, R. (2007) The Indigo Handbook for International Politics, 2nd Edition.

The role of the UN is important when understanding the reactions of the international community to various conflicts. The following lesson will provide you with the notes needed on understanding the role of the United Nations and how effective they are in the international community.

The United Nations has a you tube channel with large amounts of information on current UN programs. Click on the following link – United Nations You Tube Channel - to view this. The You Tube below provides an overview of the role of the UN – put together as part of United Nations Day on 24th October.

Your Tasks

Task 1

Read the handout – The Role of International Organisations in the International Community – that has been uploaded to studywiz. Use this to take notes, particularly on:

• Background Information
• How Does the UN foster international cooperation? Include notes under the following headings – Peace adn Disarmament, Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance and International Development, Peacekeeping, Global Environmental Concerns, Action Against Terrorism.
• List and provide some detial on two (2) positive and two (2) negative examples of the UN when managing conflict and instability.

Task 2

Questions

Use the UN website to write responses to the following questions:

1. What official languags is the UN website presented in?
2. Explain the desing, symbolism and significance of the UN logo and flag.
3. Who is the current Secretary-General of the UN? Has an Australian ever occupied this position?
4. What is the current membership of the UN Security Council?
5. Go to ‘Issues on the UN Agenda’. How many issues does the UN currently have on this agenda?
6. From the ‘Issues on the UN Agenda’, go to ‘The Question of Palestine’. What is the current UN policy in relation to Palestine? Explain Security Council Resolutions 1397 and 1515.
7. Select one other issue on the UN Agenda and write 100-200 words on why the UN is inolved in this issue, and describe its current programs in the issue.

The second outcome in Unit 2 aims at describing and analysing the extent to which the international community is cohesive and has the ability to manage conflict and instability. One such area that has become a major policy issue for Australia to explore is that of refugees and asylum seekers.

The next three lessons will provide some background for a debate on the current issue of Australia’s acceptance and treatment of asylum seekers. Is Kevin Rudd’s hard line policy one that is right for Australia? Or are we not providing for people fleeing hardship in their own country?

To begin with, we will look at a number of resources to do some background reading.

The 7:30 Report – Asylum Seekers Make Emotional Plea

The following YouTube is taken from AlJazeerah English and provides a brief insight into the Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka.

The Age Opinion – Being Tough on Refugees is Pretty Weak

Your Task

Use the lesson on Tuesday to put together background research in preparation for our debate on Thursday. You will need to use the following resources and guiding questions to complete your research.

General Information on Refugees

Questions

1. What is the difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker? Find a definition for each.

2. How many (i) refugees and (ii) asylum seekers does Australia take each year?

3. Why has the number of refugees seeking asylum increased in Australia since Kevin Rudd became Prime Minister?

4. What is the process for applying for asylum in Australia? Provide a brief overview. (include information on Detention Centres etc)

Australian Parliamentary Library – Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Refugee Council of Australia

Information on the Tamil Conflict in Sri Lanka

Questions

1. What are the causes of the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers?

2. When did the conflict begin? Put together a brief timeline of the conflict.

3. Why have the Tamil Tigers been identified as a terrorist group?

4. What role has the Sri Lankan government and army played in the conflict?

5. What impact has this conflict had on civilians in Sri Lanka?

6. Why have so many people fled Sri Lanka and is the international community prepared for this?

World Focus.org: Sri Lanka-Tamil Tigers Conflict

BBC News – Timeline of the Tamil Conflict

Guardian.co.uk – Timeline of Sri Lanka’s Conflict

Sri Lankan Civil War – Wikipedia

The past half century has seen continents become a more prominent way of classifying the global community. Commencing in Europe, but more recently in America, Africa and Asia, nations have sought ways of building greater co-operation with their close, continental neighbours. In many cases, this has been a slow process as these countries have been long-time enemies, often going to war with each other, and invading each other’s territory.

Why do countries see benefit in economic integration? In most cases, the driving force is economic. Individual neations have realised the possible benefits of reducing the barriers between neighbouring countries. Rather than relying on a single national market, producers can benefit by expanding markets. As a result, they are able to gorw and become efficient. There is also political and security dimensions to continental integration. It is felt that greater contact between continental neighbours will build greater understanding, ease past tensions, and reduce the possibility of further conflict.

Examples of continental integration include the EU, North America and Asia.

Taken from pg 155 of The Indigo Handbook for International Politics

Your Task

The following tasks will allow you to create notes on Continental Integration for your exam. Use the handout provided on studywiz, as well as the internet resources outlined below, to take these notes.

1. What is continental integration?

2. When was the EU established? What countries make up the EU?

3. What were the main economic reasons for establishing the EU?

4. Why has Turkey’s position on the EU being questioned?

5. What is NAFTA and how is it different to the EU?

6. Take notes on the benefits and weaknesses of NAFTA.

7. What is ASEAN?

8. What are the benefits of greater continental integration in Asia?

Resources

Wikipedia – The European Union

Europa – Gateway to the European Union

The NAFTA Secretariat

ASEAN Secretariat

Will the Australian dollar reach parity and what impact will this have on our international trade? Listen to Monday’s Hack for a discussion – Triple J Hack

Before we can debate on the issues associated with economic globalisation, it is important that we understand these effects looking at real life situations. The Global Financial Crisis is one of these. This week we will be looking at the causes of the Global Financial Crisis, and in particular the concepts associated with hedge funds and the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US.

To begin with, we will be watching segments from episodes of ‘The Ascent of Money‘. The two programs we will be watching segments from are Episode 3:Risky Business and Episode 4: Planet Finance. As you watch this program, take notes on the following:

1. What is a hedge fund?

2. What are derivatives?

3. How do hedge funds work?

4. Why were hedge funds established?

5. What role did they play in the global financial crisis?

6. What was the sub-prime mortgage crisis?

7. When and why did it occur?

8. What role did it play in the GFC?

The following resources may help you add to these answers:

Wikipedia – Hedge Fund

Investopedia – Hedge Funds

Sydney Morning Herald – Understanding Hedge Funds

Wikipedia – Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis

About.com – Understanding the Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis

The Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis Goes Global

Globalisation is a contentious issue and we have seen in recent years a number of protests against globalisation. Debates about globalisation include:

• Whether national boundaries are becoming redundant so that goods, services, investment, credit and labour increasingly move without regard to national boundaries or whether nations are still separate economic units
• Whether globalisation detracts from national sovereignty.  Do MNCs and international financial markets unduly influence national economic policy or does global integration promote growth and efficiency to the benefit of all nations?
• Whether globalisation was driven by the policy changes since the 1970s which include deregulation, removal and reduction of tariffs as a result of trade agreements – General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
• Whether globalisation was driven by technological change or increased international competitiveness
• Whether globalisation should be resisted by strong-willed national policy makers or is there ‘something inevitable’ about it?
• Whether globalisation can lead to improved living standards, quality goods and services, education and so on.

Reflecting on the diversity of the debate on both sides, it is worth noting that there are some inconsistencies in the approach adopted by both the advocates for and against globalisation. Many anti-global protestors, for example, use instruments of globalisation – the Internet, email and global media networks – to promote their message. In addition, many supporters of the anti-globalisation cause support enhanced international cooperation to protect the environment, endangered species and human rights. Supporters of globalisation often use these same mediums and may share these same aims. Many also qualify their support for globalisation, for example, by arguing that globalisation should have a ‘human face’. In some cases this translates into a position in favour of trade liberalisation for goods and services but not capital and labour. While this stance can be explained partly by the political need to secure popular support for pro-globalisation policies, it can lead to confusion regarding policy positions and inconsistencies in the way such positions are advanced. Just as there are many definitions for globalisation, there are also many opinions about its possibilities and problems.

Taken from Exporting For the Future, Austrade, pg 18-19

This week we will begin looking at the impacts and effects of globalisation, in preparation for a debate at the end of next week.

Task 1 – Effects of Globalisation

Today’s lesson will involve independent research and note taking. Use the document uploaded to studywiz, to take notes on the effects of globalisation. Use the headings below to aid your note taking:

• Effects on Consumers
• Effects on Labour Markets
• Effects on Financial Markets
• Effects on Government
• Effects on the Environment

Task 2 – Definitions

• Using the handout provided, find the following definitions:
• International Division of Labour
• Global capital flows
• Contagion Effects
• Hedge Funds

Task 3 – Arguments for and Against Globalisation

Create a comic life or graphic organiser that displays the arguments for and against globalisation. Make this clear, with specific examples as this will make up the notes for your upcoming open book essay test.