Overview of Contemporary Issues

1. WHAT WERE SOME KEY
TRAITS/COMMONALITIES AMONG
THE
“POWERFUL WOMEN OF THE 20TH
CENTURY”? KEY DIFFERENCE?

2. Powerful Women of the 20th Century
Golda Meir
Where: Israel
When: 1969-74
Impact: Prime Minister of Israel (1st female)
- Known as “Iron Lady” of Israeli politics
- Led Israel to victory in Yom Kippur War
- Rapid mobilization led to victory
over Egyptians and Syrians
- Sought support of United States
- Fostered long-standing
relationship between Israel and
U.S.
Margaret Thatcher
Where: Great Britain
When: 1979-90
First female Prime Minister of
Great Britain
Impact:
- Expanded free trade
- Less gov’t regulation of business
- Helped increase British prosperity
- Nicknamed the “Iron Lady” because of
her staunch opposition to the Soviet
Union & communism.
- Led Britain successfully in Falklands War
Indira Gandhi
Where: India
When: 1966 -1984
Prime Minister of India (1st female)
Impact: - Closer relationship between India and Soviet Union
during the Cold War;
- Developed nuclear program
- Developed space program
- Defeated Pakistan to become main power in region
- Ruled autocratically
Analysis: What were common characteristics between these three leaders.

3. INTRO:
Was the Green
Revolution and its legacy
more positive or
negative? Defend with
specific reasons.

4. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

5. GLOBALIZATION

6. Globalization.
By the early 21st century,
the unfolding of
“globalization”: - the
increasing
interconnectedness of

7. Close of Cold War
Lessening of
international
conflict
Movement to free
markets
New tech. devs.=
computer/internet
General
acceptance of
global
connections
Globalization

8. Lingering/persisti
ng nationalism
An important
religious surge
terrorism
Underdevelopment;
Econ, tech, indust.
Complicating
factors to
Globalization

11. World Cup Soccer

12. INDUSTRIAL (DEVELOPED)
NATIONS

13. Industrial (Developed Nations) -
Characteristics
1. high literacy rate: 80% and higher
2. high per capita GDP: $16000 and more
3. life expectancy: 74 years and more
4. good health care
5. strong infrastructure
6. rapid telecommunications
7. strong education system
8. more urban than rural population
9. low population growth
10. low birth rate, infant mortality rate, and death rate

14. Economic Development
1. Gross National Product (GNP) – total value of
goods and services produced by a country both within
and outside the country
2. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – total value of
goods and services produced only within a country’s
borders
3. Per Capita GDP – GDP divided by the total
number of citizens

15. Environmental Challenges
1. Pollution
2. rapid population growth leads to a loss of
wildlife habitat
3. ozone depletion
4. acid rain in Europe and North America
5. nuclear power plants can leak radiation

16. Environmental Pollution

17. Acid Rain

18. Nuclear Power Plant

19. DEVELOPING NATIONS AND
UNDEVELOPED NATIONS

20. Developing Nations (2nd World Countries)
1. mainly primary and secondary industries
2.characteristics: lower than those listed for developed nations, but improving
a.literacy rate; 60-80 percent
b.per capita GDP: $1,001-$15,999
c.life expectancy; 55-73 years
3.Government and economic systems
a.command economy
b.communism
c.unstable military and/or dictatorial government
4.the majority of countries today, about 130

21. Undeveloped Nations (3rd World Countries)
1.Characteristics: Lowest than those listed for developing nations; may or may
not be improving
a.literacy rate: less than 50 percent
b.per capita GDP: less than $1000
c.life expectancy: less than 55 years
2.only about 16 countries in the world

22. Social challenges of Developing
Nations
1. poverty
a. US $48,000 per person a year (Liechtenstein - $181,000 per
person)
b. Zimbabwe’s GDP is about $200 per person a year
2. poor health - AIDS, cholera
3. illiteracy - limits job opportunities which leads to poverty
4. famine - shortage of food (in Africa from 1960s-1980s)
5. migration

23. Famine

24. Contrasts between Developed and Developing
Nations p.
163
1. geographic locations of major developed and
developing countries
a. developed nations – wealthy nations of western
Europe, North America and Asia
b. developing nations – poorer countries of Africa and
southern Asia
2. developed nations are much more wealthy than
developing nations
3. developed nations are more literate and have more
access to health care
4. developed nations experience more population size
and rate of growth

25. Think and Discuss
How does economics
impact the stability and
quality of life in countries?

26. Zimbabwe United States
Population 11,350,100 303,825,000
Life Expectancy 44 years 78 years
GDP per capita $200 $48,000
Weekly GDP $4.00 $960
Daily GDP $.80 $192
Unemployment 80% 9.2%
% of Pop w AIDS 14.3% 0.4%
Contrasts between Developed and Developing
Nations

27. Developed v. Developing Nations

28. Developed v. Developing Nations

29. Rankings According to Wealth
1. Lichtenstein - $118,000/year
2. Qatar – $101,000/year
3. Luxembourg – $85,100/year
8. United States – $48,000/year
192. Burundi- $400/year
193. Congo- $300/year
194. Zimbabwe - $200/year

30. Illiteracy

34. Living With AIDS

35. TECHNOLOGY AND
ECONOMY

36. Impact of New Technologies
1. widespread but unequal access
to computers and instantaneous
communications
2. genetic engineering and bioethics
- cloning; stem cell research
3. new medical procedures and
drugs cure or relieve a variety of
illnesses

37. Think and Discuss
What do you think have
been and will be the
consequences of new
medical technologies and
medicines?

38. Relationship Between Economic and
Political Freedom
p.
163
1. free market economies produce rising
standards of living and an expanding
middle class, which produces demands
for political freedoms and individual
rights. Recent examples include Taiwan,
South Korea, Egypt and Liberia.
2. political freedom helps foster economic
development

40. Economic Interdependence p.
1631. role of rapid transportation, communication and
computer network
a. space is used for communication
2. changing role of international boundaries
3. regional integration EU (European Union) – free
trade among European countries
4. trade agreements – North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) agreement to work toward a
single market without trade barriers in North America

41. Think and Discuss
What are the pros and cons of
this “Economic
Interdependence”?

42. Economic Interdependence p.
163
5. International organizations – United Nations (UN),
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank
a. IMF and World Bank make loans to developing nations
6. some critics maintain international corporations (such as
Volvo, Nike, Microsoft and Gap) pose a serious threat to the
interests of individual nations
a. they choose countries that can provide raw materials and
the cheapest labor

43. Think and Discuss
Do today’s multinational
corporations resemble any
world events/conditions
from centuries past?

44. Transportation

45. Communication Satellites

46. Multinational Corporations

47. European Union

48. NAFTA

49. ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS
CONFLICTS

50. Europe
1. Northern Ireland – major cause of
conflict in Northern Ireland is
predominantly Protestant while the
Republic of Ireland is predominantly
Catholic
2. Balkans – (late 1990s ) fighting
among Serbs, Bosnians, Kosovars and
Croats in the former Yugoslavia
created many refugees in Europe since
the 1940s

51. Think and Discuss
Can you think of previous
events related to these
regions?

52. Northern Ireland

53. Balkans

54. Kosovar Refugees

55. Africa: Conflict = Refugee
Crisis
1.Rwanda – constant ethnic fighting between the Tutsis
and the Hutus have created millions of refugees
2.Liberia – experienced an 8-year-long civil war, rebels
never were expelled; a new government is trying to
rebuild Liberia
3.Sierra Leone – 11-year civil war drove out over 35%
of the population and many thousands are dead

56. Africa p.
165
1. Horn of Africa – ongoing conflict in eastern Africa
a. Somalia – civil war broke out in 1991 and there has
been no central government since, still in a state of
constant civil war; piracy in the Gulf of Aden
b. Ethiopia – series of famines hit in the 1980s leaving
over a million dead, constant overthrows of governments

57. Think and Discuss
Why is civil war so
destructive to the creation
of stable societies?

58. Rwanda

59. Rwandan Refugees

60. Liberia

62. Horn of
Africa

63. Liberian Refugees

64. Migration

65. Migrations of Refugees and Others
1. refugees are an issue in international conflicts
2. many small wars have produced some 40 million
refugees with nowhere to go
3. Causes of Migration and Immigration
a. primary cause is to find work
b. displaced from war

66. Think and Discuss
Think “Push” and “Pull”
when it comes to reasons of
migration. Give an example
of each.

67. TERRORISM

68. Terrorism p.
165
1. Terrorism – the use of violence and threats to
intimidate and coerce for political reasons
2. major cause of terrorism is religious
extremism
3. Methods of terrorism
a. Car bombings
b. Suicide bombings
c. Airline hijackings

69. Munich Olympics – Palestinian
Terrorists Kill Israeli Athletes
p.
167
1. 1972, 8 Palestinian gunmen burst into a room
at 4:30am, and took 9 Israeli athletes hostage
(2 were killed resisting the attack)
2. Their demands included 200 Palestinian
prisoners be set free and safe passage out of
Munich Germany
3. An unsuccessful rescue attempt was made but
failed (12 victims + 5 terrorists killed)
4. The Israeli assassination squad Mossad,
tracked down all but one of those connected to

70. Palestinian
gunman
Israelis killed

71. World Trade Center (1993)
1. A truck bomb exploded in the parking garage below
the North Tower of the World Trade Center by
Palestinian terrorists
2. was hoping to have the North Tower fall into the
South Tower
3. 6 people were killed

72. September 11, 2001
1. 4 large commercial jets were hijacked by 19
Muslim terrorists
a. two were flown into the Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center, one was flown into the
Pentagon, and the other crashed in rural
Pennsylvania
2. 2977 people were killed and over 6000 injured
3. 4 buildings were completely destroyed, the

73. September 11, 2001
4. President Bush announced a War on
Terrorism and on Oct. 7, 2011, the US invaded
Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban
government
5. Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda took
responsibility for the bombings
a. Bin Laden was shot and killed on May 2, 2011

74. World Trade Center attack 9/11/2001

76. Oklahoma City, Apr. 19, 1995
news

77. Think and Discuss
Why is terrorism so difficult
to combat?
Why is it a frequently used
method?

78. Response to Terrorist Activities p.
167
1. surveillance
2. Dept. of Homeland Security - works in the civilian
sphere to protect the United States
a. goal is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to
domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism
3. review of privacy rights – Patriot Act – reduced
restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to
search telephone, e-mail communications,
medical, financial, and other records
4. security screenings at ports and airports conducted
by the TSA
5. identification badges and photos
Uniting and
Strengthening
America by
Providing
Appropriate
Tools
Required to
Intercept and
Obstruct
Terrorism

79. Think and Discuss
Is there a time and place to
restrict rights and freedoms
in return for national
security?

80. Indira Gandhi - India
1.Prime Minister of India for over 15 years
(1966–77) and (1980–84)
2.She personally disliked US president Richard
Nixon, so she developed a closer relationship
with the USSR
3.developed India’s nuclear program in
response to the nuclear threat posed by China
4.brought the number of people in India living
below the poverty line from 65% to 45%
5.food production increased by 250%
6.literacy rose 30%
7. assassinated in 1984

81. 1. Elected Prime Minister of Israel in
1969- 1974
2. She was described as an “iron lady” of
Israeli politics
3. She was described as a
"strong-willed, straight-talking, grey-
bunned grandmother of the Jewish
Golda Meir - Israel

82. Margaret Thatcher – Great
Britain1.first woman prime minister of Britain (1979-
1990)
2. economic policies emphasized government
deregulation of businesses and the financial
sector
a. less taxes on businesses, more of a laissez-
faire attitude
3. was a strong opponent of the USSR and
huge supporter of the US and Ronald Reagan
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