Final Course writing: What did you learn this year? 
 
 
AP REVIEW SITE - THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE
 
 
 
Vocab and concepts from Intro chapter.
 
Marx
Hobbes summary
Rousseau summary
Smith summary
Marx summary

 
 
 
Political Philosophy Paper:
 
  1. What is your philosophy of government? Consider the philosophers and philosophies we have  read and discussed, which one/ones are the most pragmatic for a contemporary world? Is Zakaria correct in his argument that no democracy is preferable to an illiberal democracy?
 
Please read the CIA Fact book for each country.
 
EU
Focus readings
EU Future video
Is this the beginning of the loss of sovereignty for member nations or the cost of membership?

 
Simulation materials:
Greece: Good news goes bad  Bloomberg Feb 18
Eurozone Crisis: Troubling year ahead? BBC Feb 18 
Eurocrisis step by step Economist December 14 2012
videoExit stage left Greece? Grexit?
From Al Jazeera:
Spain and Portugal march against austerity Portugal's austerity measures: How much is too much?
 
Final EU assignment
What is the future of the EU?
 
UK
 
Focus readings and materials
 
 
UK followup questions:
 
 
Is Miliband taking England hard left or is he tempering his assessment and adjusting to the new reality of the limits of the English economy?
 
Who is more correct: Cameron or Miliband?
 
Lib Dems: Nick of time
  1. Can the Lib Dems ever be considered a serious player if they can never win the majority in the parliament? Will Labour and Tories simply shop around for a new coalition? Will the LD always be the bridesmaid and never the bride?
Britain operates with the ideals of Noblesse Oblige and the Collective Consensus. The current economic crisis is testing the limits of these traditional British social compacts.

David Cameron and the conservatives are in a bind: How can they honor the tradition of NO and CC while at the same time addressing the economic crisis? Is austerity the solution or an abdication of the One Nation ideal? Must David Cameron be "Thatcher: Part Deux"?

 
What are the political implications for Conservatives and the North of England? Is/are Cameron and the conservatives attitudes towards public spending realistic or political suicide?
 
Due Monday, 18 March, (an early birthday gift to me): GREAT BRITAIN or little england? Are the Brits best days ahead of them or past? Consider contemporary economic, political, and social issues.
 
RUSSIA Multiple Guess due: March 26th
 
Russia writing assignment: Due April 5th. Use CDW.
Read the following articles and respond to the articles considering historical, political, economic, and social information to support your claim. Is Putin Russia's problem or solution?
What is your reaction?
Is he correct?
Do you agree Putin is taking Russia back?  Has Russia really ever left the past?
 
OR
 
Is Russia ready for liberal democracy? Should Russia care?
 
To which philosophy do you ascribe: Russia in decline or Russia on the rise?
Do you agree that Russia's ascendency is not so much due to its successes as to the west's failures?
Is Russia really the "kingmaker"?
 
Have Russians become fat and happy? 
 
 
If the CSM is correct, what are the implications for Russia and its relations with its former republics? 
How does the growth of supranational organizations impact this situation?
Is a Eurasian Union a real possibility? If so, what will it mean for the European Union?
 
Is Russia in decline? Are Putin's days really numbered?
 
“The courts should not do away with terror — to promise otherwise would be to deceive ourselves and others — but should give it foundation and legality, clearly, honestly and without embellishments.” VI Lenin
  •    Do you agree that Russia is returning to the "good ole days", or did Russia really never leave, were the Yeltsin years a respite?

Does Putin's move toward the Orthodox church have any real meaning or do you believe it is simply politically expedient?

Can Putin embrace a Slavophile agenda with a declining population, increased economic hardships, a continued roller coaster oil market and a weakening natural gas industry? Is this much ado about nothing?
 
Anything new here?  Is this the same stuff different day? 
 
Vlad the victor the Economist
 
CHINA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Final writing 

“Chinese citizens have traditionally been subjects of, not participants in their political system.” What does this mean for the future of China?

 
MEXICO
 
Liberal democracy demands a mature society. Is Mexico ready for liberal democracy? Explain and provide 3 examples supporting your argument.
 
 
LEGALIZE IT?  READ THIS
 
 
NIGERIA

 
For Wednesday 9 January 2013

 
Iran
 
 
 
 
 
 
Iran/Nigeria: In what ways has religion impacted Iran and Nigeria?
 
 
 





Last Modified on May 13, 2013