The Belgian Congo was the _____ name of the country called Zaire today in central Africa.
The Belgian Congo was the _____ name of the country called Zaire today in central Africa.
An armed gang attacked buses on the border between Congo and______. A: Togo B: Cabinda C: C. Angola D: D. Zaire
An armed gang attacked buses on the border between Congo and______. A: Togo B: Cabinda C: C. Angola D: D. Zaire
The Western powers responded by supporting, practically without conditions, the regimes of Mobutu in Zaire, despite their ________corruption and their extreme anti-democratic practice. A: notable B: nominal C: notorious D: normal
The Western powers responded by supporting, practically without conditions, the regimes of Mobutu in Zaire, despite their ________corruption and their extreme anti-democratic practice. A: notable B: nominal C: notorious D: normal
Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news. An armed gang attacked buses on the border between Congo and______. A: Togo B: Cabinda C: Angola D: Zaire
Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news. An armed gang attacked buses on the border between Congo and______. A: Togo B: Cabinda C: Angola D: Zaire
ThelessonsofstatefailureTraditionaldiplomacydealswithrisksofconflictbetweennation-states.Theserisksareofcoursestillpresent,butamorepervasivedangeristhatstateswillsimplycollapse.OfadozenorsoconflictsinAfricainrecentyears,few,ifany,haveinvolvedcross-borderaggression.Instead,bankruptandimpoverishedstateshaveimploded,thevacuumfillednotbyregimeswithnewlyconsolidatedpowerbutbybrutalviolenceengulfingcivilians.Thedisasterthenfansouttoneighboringcountries,andeventuallymuchfartherafield.Aspecial"taskforceonstatefailure"setupbyAmerica’’sCIAhasfoundthatthreevariablesaremostpredictiveofstatestabilityorinstability:theopennessoftheeconomy;democracy;andinfantmortality.Insub-SaharanAfrica,wheremuchofthepopulationlivesontheedgeofsubsistence,povertyandsloweconomicgrowth,oroutrightdecline,increasedthelikelihoodoffuturestatecollapse,therebytrappingthecountriesinaviciouscircleofpovertyandpoliticalinstability.Richcountries,ontheotherhand,tendtomaintainpoliticalstabilitywhich,inturn,promotesfurthereconomicdevelopment.Whencountrieswereclassifiedin1990bytheirstatusintheUnitedNationsHumanDevelopmentIndex(anindexofincome,literacyandhealth),high-developmentcountriesachievedrobustandstableeconomicgrowthduring1990-98,withaveragegrowthratesofaround2.3%ayearandwith35outof36countriesenjoyingrisinglivingstandards.Middle-developmentcountriesachievedaslightlylowergrowthrate,1.9%ayear,but7outof34countriesexperiencedoutrightdeclinesinlivingstandards.Thepoorestcountriesaveragednoeconomicgrowthatall,with15outof39experiencingfallinglivingstandards.Theflip-sidetothepovertytrap,however,isthatthegainsofdevelopmenttendtobesustained,oncecountriesbreakthroughtosufficientlevelsofincome,healthandliteracy.ConservativesinAmericaoftenaskwhyitmattersifanimpoverishedcountrycollapses.Theansweristhat,asidefromhumanitarianconcerns,crisesinsuchfarawayplacesoftensucktheUnitedStatesintocrisisaswell.Since1960,AmericahasbeendraggedintomilitaryconflictsinCuba,Thailand,Laos,Congo,Vietnam,theDominicanRepublic,Cambodia,Cyprus,Lebanon,Zaire,ElSalvador,Libya,Lebanon,Honduras,Nicaragua,Chad,Liberia,Bosnia,Somaliaand,morerecently,KosovoandColombia.Statefailures,orevenmilderstateinstability,havealsounderminedAmericanandglobalintereststhroughgloballytransmittedfinancialcrises,drug-trafficking,money-laundering,terrorism,thespreadofdiseasessuchasAIDSandmassrefugeeflows.Onthepositiveside,sustainedeconomicdevelopmentwouldcreatenewandpotentiallylargegainsfromtrade,aswellasmuch-neededcooperationinscienceandculture.Evenwhenaproblemiscorrectlyidentified,thereisastunningdisconnectbetweenriskandactioninAmerica’’sforeigneconomicpolicy.TheglobalAIDSepidemic,forexample,hasrecentlyandwiselybeenidentifiedasarisktothesecurityoftheUnitedStates.WhatactionhasbeentakenPresidentGeorgeBushhascalleduponAmericanstogivejust$200million,or70centseach,tothenewglobalfundtofightthedisease.Thefailuretomakeevenbasicinvestmentsinforeignpolicyhasbeenpervasive,andtheexamplesarelegion.Elevenyearsago,thelastprimeministerofunifiedYugoslavia,AnteMarkovic,launchedalast-ditchplanforeconomicstabilization.HeappealedtoEuropeandtheUnitedStatesforareductionindebt-servicingandothermodestfinancialsupport,butwasturneddownbythecreditorgovernments.Economicstabilisationwasundermined,andthishelpedSlobodanMilosovictogettheupperhand.Therest,astheysay,ishistory.InthepasttwoyearsAmericaandEuropeancountrieshavemadethesamemistakeinNigeria,animpoverishedandunstablecountryemergingfromyearsofcorruptdespotism.AlthoughNigeria’’soilearnings,netofproductioncostsandincometoforeignoilcompanies,amounttoaroundonly$90perNigerianayear,theUnitedStatesandEuropecontinuetoprevaricateoverurgentlyneededdebt-reductionbecausetheoilearningsareeasytosqueezefordebt-servicepayments.ThenewdemocraticregimeofPresidentOlesegunObasanjoisputatrisk,andLibya’’sleader,MuammarQaddafi,doesnotmissachancetoinflamemattersinNigeria’’sIslamicnorthernstates.Areaafterareaofneglectcanbecatalogued,fromthestrife-tornAndestoregionsaroundtheworldunderminedbyclimatechange.Throughallofit,theUnitedStatesbarelyliftsafinger.ItsomehowthinksthatsendingtheimpoverishedandunstablegovernmentsdownPennsylvaniaAvenuetogetloansfromtheIMFandtheWorldBankwilldothejob,butevensomestaffofthoseorganisationsnowpubliclyacknowledgethattheyhavefailed:makingloanswhengrantsareneeded,imposingexcessiveausteritybycollectingratherthancancelingdebts,andfailingtofindpartner-institutionswiththescientificexpertisetotackleunderlyingproblemsofdisease,lowfoodproduction,climaticstressandenvironmentaldegradation.
ThelessonsofstatefailureTraditionaldiplomacydealswithrisksofconflictbetweennation-states.Theserisksareofcoursestillpresent,butamorepervasivedangeristhatstateswillsimplycollapse.OfadozenorsoconflictsinAfricainrecentyears,few,ifany,haveinvolvedcross-borderaggression.Instead,bankruptandimpoverishedstateshaveimploded,thevacuumfillednotbyregimeswithnewlyconsolidatedpowerbutbybrutalviolenceengulfingcivilians.Thedisasterthenfansouttoneighboringcountries,andeventuallymuchfartherafield.Aspecial"taskforceonstatefailure"setupbyAmerica’’sCIAhasfoundthatthreevariablesaremostpredictiveofstatestabilityorinstability:theopennessoftheeconomy;democracy;andinfantmortality.Insub-SaharanAfrica,wheremuchofthepopulationlivesontheedgeofsubsistence,povertyandsloweconomicgrowth,oroutrightdecline,increasedthelikelihoodoffuturestatecollapse,therebytrappingthecountriesinaviciouscircleofpovertyandpoliticalinstability.Richcountries,ontheotherhand,tendtomaintainpoliticalstabilitywhich,inturn,promotesfurthereconomicdevelopment.Whencountrieswereclassifiedin1990bytheirstatusintheUnitedNationsHumanDevelopmentIndex(anindexofincome,literacyandhealth),high-developmentcountriesachievedrobustandstableeconomicgrowthduring1990-98,withaveragegrowthratesofaround2.3%ayearandwith35outof36countriesenjoyingrisinglivingstandards.Middle-developmentcountriesachievedaslightlylowergrowthrate,1.9%ayear,but7outof34countriesexperiencedoutrightdeclinesinlivingstandards.Thepoorestcountriesaveragednoeconomicgrowthatall,with15outof39experiencingfallinglivingstandards.Theflip-sidetothepovertytrap,however,isthatthegainsofdevelopmenttendtobesustained,oncecountriesbreakthroughtosufficientlevelsofincome,healthandliteracy.ConservativesinAmericaoftenaskwhyitmattersifanimpoverishedcountrycollapses.Theansweristhat,asidefromhumanitarianconcerns,crisesinsuchfarawayplacesoftensucktheUnitedStatesintocrisisaswell.Since1960,AmericahasbeendraggedintomilitaryconflictsinCuba,Thailand,Laos,Congo,Vietnam,theDominicanRepublic,Cambodia,Cyprus,Lebanon,Zaire,ElSalvador,Libya,Lebanon,Honduras,Nicaragua,Chad,Liberia,Bosnia,Somaliaand,morerecently,KosovoandColombia.Statefailures,orevenmilderstateinstability,havealsounderminedAmericanandglobalintereststhroughgloballytransmittedfinancialcrises,drug-trafficking,money-laundering,terrorism,thespreadofdiseasessuchasAIDSandmassrefugeeflows.Onthepositiveside,sustainedeconomicdevelopmentwouldcreatenewandpotentiallylargegainsfromtrade,aswellasmuch-neededcooperationinscienceandculture.Evenwhenaproblemiscorrectlyidentified,thereisastunningdisconnectbetweenriskandactioninAmerica’’sforeigneconomicpolicy.TheglobalAIDSepidemic,forexample,hasrecentlyandwiselybeenidentifiedasarisktothesecurityoftheUnitedStates.WhatactionhasbeentakenPresidentGeorgeBushhascalleduponAmericanstogivejust$200million,or70centseach,tothenewglobalfundtofightthedisease.Thefailuretomakeevenbasicinvestmentsinforeignpolicyhasbeenpervasive,andtheexamplesarelegion.Elevenyearsago,thelastprimeministerofunifiedYugoslavia,AnteMarkovic,launchedalast-ditchplanforeconomicstabilization.HeappealedtoEuropeandtheUnitedStatesforareductionindebt-servicingandothermodestfinancialsupport,butwasturneddownbythecreditorgovernments.Economicstabilisationwasundermined,andthishelpedSlobodanMilosovictogettheupperhand.Therest,astheysay,ishistory.InthepasttwoyearsAmericaandEuropeancountrieshavemadethesamemistakeinNigeria,animpoverishedandunstablecountryemergingfromyearsofcorruptdespotism.AlthoughNigeria’’soilearnings,netofproductioncostsandincometoforeignoilcompanies,amounttoaroundonly$90perNigerianayear,theUnitedStatesandEuropecontinuetoprevaricateoverurgentlyneededdebt-reductionbecausetheoilearningsareeasytosqueezefordebt-servicepayments.ThenewdemocraticregimeofPresidentOlesegunObasanjoisputatrisk,andLibya’’sleader,MuammarQaddafi,doesnotmissachancetoinflamemattersinNigeria’’sIslamicnorthernstates.Areaafterareaofneglectcanbecatalogued,fromthestrife-tornAndestoregionsaroundtheworldunderminedbyclimatechange.Throughallofit,theUnitedStatesbarelyliftsafinger.ItsomehowthinksthatsendingtheimpoverishedandunstablegovernmentsdownPennsylvaniaAvenuetogetloansfromtheIMFandtheWorldBankwilldothejob,butevensomestaffofthoseorganisationsnowpubliclyacknowledgethattheyhavefailed:makingloanswhengrantsareneeded,imposingexcessiveausteritybycollectingratherthancancelingdebts,andfailingtofindpartner-institutionswiththescientificexpertisetotackleunderlyingproblemsofdisease,lowfoodproduction,climaticstressandenvironmentaldegradation.