Class Questions for Readings, September 30th


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18. The Case against the West: America and Europe in the Asian Century, Kishore Mahbubani, Foreign Affairs, May/June 2008
The changing international, economic roles of both Asian and Western countries is described along with an evaluation of how the West is resisting the rise of the Asian countries. There is specific focus on the issues of nuclear nonproliferation, the Middle East, and trade.

1.      Mahbubani writes a great deal about the mistakes that the United States made when they entered into war with the Iraqi nation, and goes on to say that although “many Western commentators can readily identify specific failures, such as the botched invasion and occupation of Iraq, few can see this reflects a deeper structural problem: the West’s inability to see that the world has entered a new era.” What do you think about that? Can you think of reasons why our country has failed to see this change?

2.      In the question above, the botched invasion and occupation of Iraq was mentioned. What two international laws authorized by the UN Security Council were completely ignored by the United States Government? What has this done to our countries reputation?

3.      Mahbubani states that “ After having enjoyed centuries of global domination, the West has to learn to share power and responsibility for the management of global issues with the rest of the world.”  Has the United States really turned from the world’s primary problem solver to its single biggest liability? What can we do to fix this?

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20. The Lost Continent, Moisés Naím, Foreign Policy, November/December 2006
The author observes that the role of Latin America in the world has been declining for decades. He examines the reasons for this diminished role with a special focus on political culture.

  1. It is pointed out on numerous occasions that there are many political leaders who greatly dislike the United States. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has pronounced that “The United States is the devil that represents capitalism,” and he has also called our President George W. Bush “ a donkey, a drunkard, and an assassin.” It is also pointed out that  not even Osama bin Laden has been called such a terrible name as assassin. Are these strong opinions a reason to make the United States fearful? In the long run, could our country be in danger because of the extreme opinions of so many others like Chavez?
  1. Naim points out that Latin America is a region resource rich so therefore the only explanation for poverty amongst so much wealth is corruption. He then reminds us that this assumption leaves out such things as competent public institutions, rule of law, and a well educated population. What can Latin America do to make improvements in all these areas?
       3. This article concludes that Latin America’s most important deficit is patience. Past leaders who have been sensitive about the need to maintain  economic stability as opposed to the radical efforts by some have proved to be more


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Chapter 3 of  Exploriing and Shaping International Futures by Barry Hughes and Evan Hillebrand:  Values and Underdstanding

  1. Although the Millennium Development Goals will not be fulfilled by their deadline (2015), they have inspired many governmental and nongovernmental organizations to act. 
    1. Do you think the MDG’s were successful? 
    2. How can we make goals (and plans to fulfill these goals) that will be more successful in the future?  (pg.49)
  1. What is the difference between a positive feedback loop and a negative feedback loop?  How can this help the IF program predict future trends? (pg. 51-53)
  1. In the conclusion (pg. 59-60), the authors end on an optimistic note, elaborating on the numerous ways in which we are closer to meeting future global challenges.  They include our improved ability to measure the human condition, the creation of more specific and clearer goals, and the increased understanding of complex systems. 
    1. How have these helped us to solve certain global problems such as hunger and illiteracy?
    2. What more can be done to further increase our success when dealing with global issues?

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Chapter 4 of  Exploriing and Shaping International Futures by Barry Hughes and Evan Hillebrand:  Understanding and Using IFs

1.      Where would the world be without such complex programs such as International Futures? Could we make extensive forecasts without it?

2.      How can we use Ifs to help us become a more sustainable world?

3.   

3.  What is an "intervention"?

4.  What is the difference between the "base case" and the "working file" in IF?

5.      What is the most shocking/interesting thing you found while doing your country study using IFs thus far?

6.      Which module do you think is the most complex and or interesting? Why?