The Modern World
Globalization Acronyms• World Trade Organization (WTO):
an international organization created to supervise international trade and support free trade
• The European Union: an economic and political union of 27 member countries in Europe dedicated to regional integration
• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries: An organization that works to protect the interests of member countries that produce oil– Example: controlling oil prices to make
more $$$
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): eliminated tariffs and trade restrictions between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico
• the International Monetary Fund (IMF): an organization that offers emergency loans to countries in financial crisis
• United Nations (UN): an international organization dedicated to keeping the peace and preventing human rights violations
• the World Bank: an organization that offers loans to developing countries for large government projects
• NATO: A mutual defense organization created to protect member states from aggression
Developed vs. Developing Nations
• A developed nation is a: nation with the industrialization, transportation, and business facilities for the advanced production of manufactured goods
• A developing nation is a: nation that is in the process of becoming industrialized
Developed nations Developing nations
Primary Location: The “Western” World parts of Asia, Africa, and South America
Economic conditions: More prosperity, less poverty
LOTS of poverty
Social Conditions: More literate, access to health care
Less literate, often no or very little access to
healthcarePopulation size and
rate of growth:Constantly growing Not growing
By the end of this century knowledge workers [people whose jobs focus on working with information] will amount to a third or more of the work force in the United States. …The majority of knowledge workers will be paid at least as well as blue-collar workers ever were, or better. And the new jobs offer much greater opportunities…The new jobs…require a habit of continuous learning.PETER DRUCKER, Managing a Time of Great change
Economic development and rapid population growth have an impact on
the environment and society in today’s world.
• The economic development and population explosion affects the Environment through:– Increased pollution– Loss of animal habitats– Global climate change (global warming!)
• The rapid growth of the population affects Society by increasing:– Poverty– Poor health– Illiteracy– Famine– Migration (the movement of people from one place to
another
A stable economy contributes to a stable democracy, and political
freedom helps to increase economic development.
• How?– Free market economies produce rising standards of
living and an expanding middle class, which produces growing demands for political freedoms and individual rights.
– Examples: Taiwan and South Korea.
• BUT—Every nation, no matter if they’re developed or developing, depends on each other for their raw materials, markets, and financial resources (banks and loans)—this forms a GLOBAL ECONOMY
Economic Interdependence between Countries
• Fast transportation, communication, and computer networks help keep people in different countries connected.
• Multinational corporations (companies that operate in many different countries) have helped by building factories in many different locations. They see the whole world as a market for their goods. – because of this, in the global economy its as
if national boundaries do not exist
Challenges faced by both developed and developing nations because of
their differences:• Migrations of refugees
(people seeking safety from war or persecution in another nation) and others– Refugees can be an issue in
international conflicts– Migrations of “guest workers”
to European cities
• Ethnic and religious conflicts today are found in:– The Middle East, Northern
Ireland, the Balkans, the Horn of Africa, and South Asia
• Impact of new technologies– Widespread but unequal
access to computers and instantaneous communications leads to unrest
– Genetic engineering and bioethics make people question the right or wrong of science• Example: Cloning—right or
wrong?• Genetic engineering – introduce
new genes into an organism to give it new traits
• Cloning – creation of identical copies of DNA.
Terrorism• Some people deal with the inequality
through use of violence• Terrorism: the use of violence
and threats to intimidate and coerce for political reasons–Major causes: political extremism,
religious extremism
Foreign and Domestic
• Examples: –Munich Olympics– Terrorist attacks in the
United States (9/11/2001)• motivated by extremism on the
part of Al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden.
– Car bombings– Suicide bombers– Airline hijackers
Munich & Atlanta Olympics
• Munich– 1972 Summer Olympics– Palestinian group captured 11 members
of the Israeli Olympic Team – held hostage and eventually killed
• Atlanta– July 27, 1996– Bombs went off– 2 died, 110 injured
September 11, 2001
• Four planes hijacked– Two hit the Twin Towers
in New York• Both towers collapse
– One hit the Pentagon– One crashed in
Pennsylvania
• Worst and deadliest attack on American soil
Boston Marathon Attacks
• 4/15/13• Two bombs exploded
within 12 seconds of each other near the finish line
• 3 died, 180 injured
WACO• Began Feb 28,
1993– ATF went to search
compound occupied by the Branch Davidians
– Gun battle erupts– Standoff for 50 days
• Siege ends on April 19, 1993
• 76 people died
OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING
• April 19, 1995• Domestic terrorism– Timothy McVeigh– Angry about Federal
government’s handling of WACO
• Federal Building (Murrah) blown up
• 168 died, 680 injured
Acts of Violence
• Columbine (4/20/99)– Two students entered high
school with guns and killed 12
– Both committed suicide– Worst school shooting in the
USA (now 2nd)
• VA Tech Shooting (4/16/07)– Lone gunman killed 32– Worst school shooting in the
USA
• Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting (12/14/12)– Lone gunman enters school
and killed 26
• DMV Sniper (October 2002)– Two gunmen terrorized area
by killing 10 and critically injuring 3
• Aurora Theater Shooting (7/20/12)– Lone gunman enters theater
and killed 12 and injured 58– Trial ongoing
• Sikh Temple Shooting (8/5/12)– Lone gunman enters temple
and killed 6 and wounded 4 more
Government Response to Terrorism
– Surveillance increased and privacy rights decreased
– Security at ports and airports increased
– Identification badges and photos required
– Patriot Act is a law that was passed by Congress in 2002 and signed by George W. Bush. This allowed law enforcement great freedom in researching suspected terrorist (foreign or domestic)
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