AII SEMINAR 8 International Relations Task 1 – Match the following words to their definitions (a-j) below Amnesty “Red herring” Civil liberties Liberty International law Equal opportunities Keynote Welfare Comity Internationalism a) The rights of a person to do, think, and say what they want if this does not harm[1] other people. b) An act by which the state pardons political or other offenders, usually as a group. c) Rules of etiquette in international relations that do not have the force of law, but make international relations smoother. d) The main point in a lecture or discussion. e) The belief that the greatest possible co-operation between nations in areas such as trade, culture, education, and government is the best way to build peace. This is the opposite of isolationism and nationalism. f) The idea that opportunities in education, employment or any other field, should be freely available to all citizens, regardless of race, gender, religion, or country of origin. g) Something irrelevant that is used to confuse or take the attention away from something else. h) Rules, principles, and conventions that govern the relations between states. i) Public financial or other assistance (food stamps, for example) given to people who meet certain standards of eligibility regarding income and assets[2]. j) The freedom to live as you wish and go where you want. Task 2 – The Study of International Relations at Stanford University in California Read the text and fill in the gaps with words from below. The purpose of the International Relations major is to provide students with both the foundational skills and specific __________ necessary to analyze[3] the behavior of __________ countries. The focus is on the study of the changing __________ among nation-states – political, economic, and __________. Majors pursue[4] a course of study in world politics that includes classes in political science, economics, history and languages, focusing on a __________ of issues including international security, international political economy, political and economic __________, and the politics of the __________ to democracy. International Relations majors are also __________ to complete at least one quarter of study abroad, and at least two years in a foreign __________. The major prepares students for a variety of __________ in government, non-governmental organizations (NGO), and business, both __________ and international, as well as for __________ school in law, business, economics or political science. http://irweb.stanford.edu/degree.html Gap Fill Words relations cultural development[5] transition[6] domestic[7] graduate[8] range[9] contemporary[10] required language knowledge careers Discussion Questions 1) How important is it to follow current political events? 2) Do you take an interest in the international politics of your country? Can you name some recent events? 3) What about the international politics of other countries? Can you name some recent events? 4) Has the study of international politics become broader in recent years? 5) Do you think that international politics has direct relevance to everyone? Task 3 – Reading – Globalisation: What on Earth is it About? 1 Globalisation is a reality that touches our lives in many ways. Many say it is a good thing: increased international trade has made us wealthier and allowed us to lead more diverse lifestyles. But the crowds that demonstrated in Prague for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank disagree. The coalition of environmentalists, anti-poverty campaigners, trade unionists[11], and anti-capitalist groups see the growth of global companies as raising more problems than it solves. 2 The term "globalisation" was first coined in the 1980s, but the concept goes back centuries. Some say the world was as globalised 100 years ago as it is today, with international trade and migration; however, the 1930s Great Depression put an end to that. Nation states realised that international markets could cause much misery in the form of poverty and unemployment. After World War II, the Western states reduced protectionist barriers[12] around the world, stimulating the free movement of capital and allowing companies to set up bases abroad. 3 For consumers and capitalists, increased trade is good in that it has made for more choice in the market place, greater spending, rising living standards, and a growth in international travel. Globalisation supporters say it has promoted information exchange, led to a greater understanding of other cultures, and allowed democracy to triumph over autocracy. 4 But as numerous protests against World Trade Organisation conferences around the world have proved, there is a growing opposition to the forces of corporate globalisation. Critics say that what the West has gained[13] has been at the expense of developing countries. The already small share of the global income of the poorest people in the world has dropped from 2.3% to 1.4% in the last decade. 5 But even in the developed world, not everyone benefits. The freedoms gained from globalisation are leading to increased insecurity in the workplace. Workers are under threat[14] as companies move their production overseas to low-wage economies, where employees have little protection. People in small and medium-sized firms worry that large scale global economies will put them out of work. Another concern[15] is that huge trans-national companies are becoming more powerful and influential than democratically-elected governments, putting shareholder interests[16] above those of communities and even customers. 6 Ecologists say corporations are disregarding[17] the environment in their search for mega-profits and operating where environmental laws are weaker. Human rights groups say corporate power is restricting individual freedom. But does the fact that communications have improved so much that this debate can take place simultaneously across continents prove that the global village is already here? Viewed on 20.4.2004 and adapted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/711906.stm. Discussion questions 1 What are some of the benefits and drawbacks[18] of corporate globalisation? 2 Who benefits most from globalisation? Who suffers the most from it? 3 What issues related to globalisation are of concern to you? Statistics related to globalization and trade liberalization – Read and discuss 1. In 1960, the 20% of the world's people in the richest countries had 30 times the income of the poorest 20% -- in 1997, 74 times as much. An analysis of long-term trends shows the distance between the richest and poorest countries: o3 to 1 in 1820 o11 to 1 in 1913 o44 to 1 in 1973 2. Half the world today -- nearly three billion people -- live on less than two dollars a day. 3. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world's countries) is less than the wealth of the world's three richest people. 4. Nearly a billion people entered the 21^st century unable to read a book or sign their names. 5. Less than 1% of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen. 6. The developing world now spends $13 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants. The poorer the country, the more likely it is that debt repayments are being taken directly from people who neither made the loans nor received any of the money. 7. 20% of the population in the developed nations, consume 86% of the world’s goods; 12% of the world's population use 85% of its fresh water. 8. The top fifth of the world's people in the richest countries enjoy 82% of the expanding export trade and 68% of foreign direct investment -- the bottom fifth, around 1%. 9. 51% of the world's 100 hundred wealthiest bodies are corporations, rather than nations. 10. The main beneficiaries of the market-opening policies of the past decade are these large corporations, especially the top 200. Seven of them (Texaco, Chevron, PepsiCo, Enron, Worldcom, McKesson and the world’s biggest corporation—General Motors) actually paid less than zero in federal income taxes in 1998, because they received rebates of more than they paid in taxes. 11. 45% of the $25 billion that the World Bank lends each year is dispensed directly to Western transnational corporations. 12. In 2000, the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress found a failure rate of 55-60% for all World Bank-sponsored projects. In Africa, the failure rate reached 73%. Global priorities in spending in 1998 $U.S. billions Basic education for everyone in the world 6 Cosmetics in the United States 8 Water and sanitation for everyone in the world 9 Ice cream in Europe 11 Reproductive health for all women in the world 12 Perfumes in Europe and the United States 12 Basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world 13 Pet foods in Europe and the United States 17 Business entertainment in Japan 35 Cigarettes in Europe 50 Alcoholic drinks in Europe 105 Narcotics drugs in the world 400 Military spending in the world 780 http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp, viewed on April 14, 2006. http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/top200text.htm, viewed April 15, 2006. #10, 11, 12 taken from The Internationalist, #365, March 2004. Task 4 – Pre –Listening Tasks 1. Which of these organizations do you know about? Match them to the descriptions below. 1. The United Nations 2. Trade Unions 3. International Monetary Fund 4. World Trade Organization 5. Friends of the Earth 6. International Aid Organizations (such as Oxfam) a) The international organization that controls trade between countries. b) Campaigns on environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect. c) An international organization that works to balance and manage the world’s economy and to help countries with weak economies to develop d) An international organization that encourages countries to work together in order to solve world problems such as war, disease and poverty. e) Charities that raise money for famine and disaster relief. f) Organizations of workers that aim to improve pay and conditions of work. 2. Predict which of these organizations are pro-globalization or anti-globalization. . Task 5 – Listening. You are going to listen to a lecture in three sections. Before each section spend half a minute reading the questions and underlining key words. Section 1 - Look at questions 1 – 6 and listen to the first section. Questions 1 and 2 Which of the following areas does the lecturer say she will cover? CIRCLE TWO ANSWERS. A Global inequalities B Poverty in the developing world C The history of globalization D The key arguments for and against globalization E Trade and economics F The World Trade Organization Questions 3 – 5 Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER 3 Many people feel globalization is about the economy or ……………………. . 4 An example is the export of Japanese ……………………. . 5 Globalization began approximately ……………………. . Question 6 Which of these is NOT mentioned as important to the development of globalization? A the telephone C the postal service B the fax D air travel Section 2 -. Look at questions 7 – 9 and listen to the second section. Questions 7 – 9 Complete the following notes using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Anti-globalization groups – e.g. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. These are (7)……………………. organizations. They feel globalization causes global warming, and depletion of oil, gas, (8) …………………… and sea life. Many businesses in developed nations are against globalization because of competition from (9) ……………………. . Section 3 - Look at questions 10 – 12 and listen to the final section. Questions 10 – 12 Complete this table using ONE OR TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER. Organization Established No. of member states Role WTO (10)…………………….. 123 Prevents members favouring home industries IMF 1946 (11) …………………….. Provides temporary financial help UN 1946 ----------------------------- Promotes shared values between UN and the (12) …………………….. Task 6 – Signposting Language Throughout the lecture, the lecturer uses certain words and phrases to signal, or signpost, key stages in the lecture. Recognizing these can help you to understand and follow her argument. Look at these ‘signposts’ and divide them into these categories. Introduction Sequencing Changing topic Concluding/Summarizing 1. Turning now to … 2. Now let us look a little at … 3. Lastly, … 4. In the first part of today’s lecture … 5. I would like to … 6. Having looked at … let’s now consider … 7. I will start by considering 8. So, we’ve seen that 9. I’d now like to move on to … 10. Secondly, I will explain … 11. So, let’s begin with 12. Finally, I intend to … Listen to the lecture again and number the signposts in the order in which you hear them. Tasks 4 – 6 adapted from: Roberts, Rachael, Joanne Gakonga, and Andrew Preshous. IELTS Foundation Student's Book. Oxford: Macmillan, 2004. Task 7 – Grammar – Conjunctions and Linking Words Choose the best answer; sometimes both forms are possible. 1) We are planning a series of conferences; however / therefore there will be a weekend devoted to International Relations in the 21^st Century. 2) I failed my exam precisely although / because I didn’t have time to study. 3) There is no record of the transaction in our files, but / so there is no proof that it ever took place. 4) The speaker is ill and will therefore / because be unable to lecture today. 5) John, as / although you speak French, I wonder if I could ask you about some words? 6) Some people believe that the politician died because / since he was poisoned. 7) Jerome Smith has ambitions in politics; or / consequently he is interested in the media. 8) Since / Because we have not heard from you, we assume that you have no objections to the proposal. 9) Everyone had arrived, because / consequently the meeting could begin. 10) Since / However everyone agreed, we went ahead with the proposal. 11) The talks broke down in spite of / despite the effort. 12) The parties did not reach an agreement because / because of their mutual suspicion. 13) Because / Though diplomatic relations were restored six months ago, ambassadors have not been exchanged yet. 14) Due to / Since widening differences the two countries broke off relations. 15) We did not agree on certain issues. In the end we made concessions, though / however. ________________________________ Vocabulary [1] *to harm škodit [2] eligibility regarding income and assets příjem a celkový majetek [3] *to analyze; analysis analyzovat; analýza [4] *pursue a course of study uskutečňovat, plnit studijní program [5] *development vývoj, rozvoj [6] *transition přechod [7] *domestic vnitřní, vnitrostátní, domácí [8] *graduate; to graduate absolvent; absolvovat, promovat [9] *range of issues řada otázek [10] *contemporary současný [11] trade unions odbory [12] protectionist barriers zábrany vztahující se k ochraně národních ekonomik [13] *to gain at the expense of získat na úkor něčeho [14] *to be under threat být ohrožen [15] *concern, issue záležitost, věc [16] shareholder interests zájmy držitelů akcií [17] *to disregard znevažovat, nevěnovat pozornost čemu [18] *drawback, disadvantage nedostatek