Contemporary Issues
Contemporary Issues
Post-Cold War Era • 1991 to the present (you’re living in it!)
• Parts of Asia and Africa struggle to develop after WWII
• Europe and the United States struggle to redefine themselves
after the “defeat” of communism
Contemporary Issues • Refugees & Mass Immigration
• Ethnic & Religious Conflict
• New Technology
• Uneven Economic Development
( Environmental Problems
( Global Economic Interdependence
Refugees & Immigration ( Refugees are people forced to flee their homelands due to conflict
( Ex: Ethiopia, Serbians, Sudanese
( Over 40 million worldwide—most ever!
( Refugees sometimes find new homes in developed regions such as Europe, US
Guest Workers ( Immigrant workers in Europe & US; typically work manual
labor jobs (agriculture, etc.)
( Hispanic workers in the US
( Turkish & North African workers in Germany
( Hostility in both nations over the increase of people of different
cultures
Ethnic & Religious Conflict ( A number of religious/ethnic conflicts threaten peace around
the world
Arab-Israeli Conflict ( Conflict over control of Jerusalem and surrounding lands
(Muslim vs. Jew) between Jewish Israelis & Arab (Muslim) Palestinians
( Two sides have fought since the formation of Israel in 1948
vs. (Arab-Israeli War)
( Today Palestinians want self-rule
( Palestinian terrorist groups and Israeli military retaliation
makes this difficult
( Palestinians still do not have a country of their own
Northern Ireland ( Northern Protestant part of Ireland remains
(Catholic vs. Protestant) under British control
( Catholic minority wants to join Ireland
( Irish Republican Army (IRA) commits terrorist acts to try to
force reunion with Ireland
( British govt. refuses to leave; wants peace but also wants to
protect Protestants
( Cease fire signed in 1998; still dangerous and unresolved
New Technologies ( Development of personal computers & Internet
( Some developing nations struggle to gain computers/Internet
access while regions like the US/Europe/Japan are flooded w/ it
Nuclear Proliferation ( The spread of nuclear weapon technology to other
nations
( North Korea and now Iran are attempting to become nuclear
powers
( Fear of terrorists gaining access to weapons
Genetic Engineering ( Many dev. nations dealing with questions about
Cloning - BIOETHICS!
( US has banned it; some European nations (Italy) allow
research
( Animals & pets have been cloned recently
(Dolly the clones sheep)
Economic Challenges ( Developing nations (India, China, most of Africa) face many
challenges
( High population grow rates; govts can’t keep up with services
(education, health care access)
( Without money, developing nations cannot educate their
population (high illiteracy)
( World Bank & International Monetary Fund
provide money for development,
but some question their effectiveness
( Developing world in HUGE debt as a result!
AIDS Epidemic ( Disease in Africa & Asia; AIDS epidemic reaching high infection
rates in Sub-Saharan Africa and SE Asia
( Some parts of Africa may have 50% HIV inf.!
Environment Impact ( Economic development & pop. growth cause environmental
concerns
( Destruction of environment to gain natural resources a concern
(deforestation, strip mining)
( Factories & cars produce air pollution; hurts the ozone layer
( Animals & plants go extinct due to loss of habitat to make
room for humans
( Developing nations cannot easily put the environment first like
developed nations
Free Market Economies ( Fastest growing developed nations have free mkt economies
( Rising standards of living
( Growing middle class
( Growing demand for political freedoms and human rights
( South Korea & Taiwan excellent examples
( China quickly becoming more free market
Economic Interdependence ( Rapid transportation and computer networks allow greater
international trade
( Multinational corporations grow during the 1990s
(McDonalds, IBM, Toyota, Ford, etc.)
( International boundaries become porous due to the free
movement of goods and services
Trade Agreements ( North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
between US, Canada, & Mexico
( Allows for tariff-free movement of goods from one nation
to the next
( International Monetary Fund (IMF)
( 186 countries belong; specialized agency of the United Nations
• Focus is on global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.
( European Union (EU)
( Eliminates trade barriers btwn member nations of Europe
( Adopted the Euro as currency
( France & Germany are powerhouse members
( Great Britain a member of EU, won’t use Euro
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