Fall 2015

Mid Term Exam
Issues of Our Times –International

Name ________________________________

Instructions: Please read carefully.  Please answer the following short answer objective questions and be sure to answer each question fully.  Overly vague and imprecise answers will NOT be accepted.  Most questions must be answered in two to three sentences, although SOME may be answered in only a few words.  Each answer must include the original question which can be easily done by immediately saving the exam questions using the command “save as” to create and name a “shell” that after it is saved can be later retrieved to fill-in or record your answers.  Each question is worth 2 points and all answers must derive from the course material and NOT from google.  Completed exams are due by 12 midnight Tuesday, Eastern Standard Time, October 13, 2015.  Late papers will be penalized 40 points.  Completed exams must be sent through course messages on Blackboard. Instructions for doing so are posted on Blackboard.

1.According to Joseph Nye power in the world today is shifting from where to where?

2.According to Joseph Nye power is also diffusing from states to non-state actors.  Please give
an example of this diffusion of power from state to non-state actors.

3.Explain what Joseph Nye means by the statement, the “stage is becoming crowded.”

4.What does Nye mean by soft power?  Please give an example of an application of soft
power in international affairs.

5.Please give an example of hard power in international affairs.  Be sure to explain your
answer.

6.The Obama administration recently received approval for fast track trade authority.  What
state (country) is widely considered the greatest beneficiary or winner of this fast track
trade authorization?  Please explain your answer.

7.What other GROUPS are widely considered the greatest beneficiaries of the passage of
fast track trade authority?

8.What groups are widely considered the greatest LOSERS as a result of the passage of fast track
trade authority?  Please explain your answer.

9.What U.S. official is widely considered the greatest WINNER or beneficiary as a result of
the passage of fast track trade authority in the U.S.?  Please explain your answer.

10.Another controversial topic cover in class this semester has been the Obama administration’s
nuclear “deal” with Iran.  What state (country) is widely considered the biggest winner or
greatest beneficiary from this deal?  Please explain your answer.

11.What state (country) is widely considered the biggest loser as a result of this deal?
Please explain your answer.

12.What politician is the greatest winner of both the fast track and Iran nuclear weapons
deal?  Please explain your answer

13.What is the greatest possible benefit that might come from the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran?
Please explain your answer.

14.Identify and discuss the most widely held fears of the possible consequences of the U.S. deal
with Iran.  Please explain your answer.
.

15.What Middle East dictator is currently the center of conflict and strife in Syria?

16.Identify three main state (country) supporters of this dictator discussed in question 15 above.

17.Identify three main opponents of this dictator discussed in question 15 above.

18.What common enemy in Syria do supports and opponents of this dictator share?  Please
explain your answer.  Hint: The answer to this question is NOT the dictator referred to in
question 15.

19.What is the basic message of Economist, Charles Robertson’s TED talk lecture video and
what relevance does it have for fast track trade authority in the U.S.?  How might
Robertson’s message provide an opportunity for what Nye refers to as “positive sum” or
a “win-win” situation involving trade between the U.S. and Africa?

20.Although a great degree of attention has been devoted to the investment role of China in
Africa, what part of the world besides China does Robertson describe as leading the way in
foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa?  What percentage of FDI does this part of the
world contribute to Africa according to Robertson?

21.What advice does Robertson give regarding corruption in Africa and its effects on potential
U.S. investment in Africa?   In the face of corruption, what does Robertson say investors
like the U.S. should do in Africa?

22.According to the August 13, 2015 Time magazine article, “Europe’s New Border Crisis” (The
link to this article appears under the information tab on Blackboard), where do Europe’s
latest immigrants comes from and how many asylum seekers have arrived in Europe during
the first half of 2015?

23.According to the Time magazine article referred to above, how many people have died this
year trying to make the journey to the continent’s shores turning the Mediterranean into the
most dangerous border crossing in the world?

24.According to Time magazine how many people died on August 5, 2015 when a boat stuffed
with immigrants capsized near the Libyan coast?

.

25.According to Time magazine some of the 60 million displaced people have fled their homes
out of desperation that can be traced to what specific circumstance?

26.Others according to Time magazine are fleeing their homes for different reasons that include
what?

27.According to the above listed Tim Magazine article, what states (countries) have had to deal
with a disproportionate number of migrants?

28.According to Time, Britain’s oldest border defense has been what?

29.According to Time migrants have been trying to cross into Britain (the U.K.) from
Calais (France) since when?

30.According to Time, is life in Britain easy for migrants?  How does Time describe
life in Britain for immigrants?

31.According to Time, why is life in Britain still attractive to immigrants seeking to
enter Britain (U.K.)?

32.According to Time magazine, how long is the English Channel or in other words how far do
migrants have to travel to cross into Britain (U.K.) via the English Channel?

33.According to Time, how do migrants travel across the English Channel Tunnel to
Britain (U.K.)?

34.According to Time, how many people have died trying to reach England?

.

35.According to Time, the dusty migrant encampments on the edge of Calais are
known to migrants as what?

36.According to Time, these encampments shelter hundreds of migrants that include
what four nationalities of people?

37.What two words does Time use to describe the encampment(s) that has evolved near Calais
that falls far below international humanitarian standards?

38.While guidelines from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees recommends a maximum
of 20 persons sharing one toilet, how many persons share one toilet in these
encampments outside Calais, according to Time magazine?

39.What additional descriptions of these encampments are offered by Time magazine?

40.According to Time, migrants are trying more dangerous methods to reach the U.K..  For
example how does Time describe the arrest of a Sudanese man on August 4, 2015 by
British police?

41.According to Time, how many people does Eurotunnel, the company that runs shuttles
that pass through the tunnel say it prevented from passing through since January?

42.According to Time, on the night of July 28, 2015 alone, a few hundred migrants made
what number of attempts to breach the entrance of the channel tunnel?

43.What consequences have emerged in Britain according to Time as a result of the
ongoing “migrant invasion”?

44.According to Time how has British Prime Minister David Cameron responded to the
“migrant invasion” in public statements reported in the media?

45.What further measures in Britain were adopted on August 10, 2015 to reduce the attraction of
Britain to illegal immigrants?

46.Would this measure described in your answer to question 45 above be enough to discourage
migrants from preferring Britain over other destination points in Europe?  Please explain
your answer.

47.What does Tahir Dlil, a 26 year old radiology graduate who fled the turmoil in Sudan
a year ago and has been in Calais for more than 6 months, say about his motivation to leave
Sudan for Britain?

48.According to Time, what does a sign outside a tent in an encampment outside Calais read?

49.Based on the Time article, does it appear that European authorities are close to a solution
to their border crisis?

50.Based on the Time article and a flood of media coverage since the August 13, 2015 article
does Europe’s “migrant invasion” appear to be slowing down?

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