Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Arab Spring, Hutu, Tutsi
1 Jul 2018
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Tutorial 1 – Questions
Thomas Friedman, “It’s a Flat World After All.” The New York Times
Magazine (April 3, 2005)
Questions:
1. What does Friedman mean when he claims that the world is flat?
● · There is now an equal playing field so people in all countries with an internet
connection can compete on the now global economy
2. What distinguishes Globalization 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0? In what ways might
Globalization 3.0 empower individuals and support diversity? Do you agree?
● 1.0: from size large to medium, the dynamic force in that era was countries
globalizing for resources and imperial conquest
● 2.0: medium to small, spearheaded by companies globalizing for markets and
labor.
● 3.0: individuals and small groups globalizing, driven by a more diverse group of
individuals
3. Is “connecting all the knowledge pools in the world together” a good or a bad
thing?
Bad: some weird groups can now connect with each other, hacking
Good: innovation from people all around the world, anyone can be innovative it doesn’t matter
where they are in the world
·
4. How did the world get flattened? How important have political changes, such as
the collapse of the Soviet Union, been to this process?
● When the Berlin wall came down, people can view the world as a single space,
breakthrough in microsoft system, netscape caused overinvestment in fiber-optic
cables.
● Very important because it helped with the economic growth of other countries
who had people invest in those countries
·
5. Are the United States and Canada up to the challenge of a flat world?
● Depends, unless they make some serious changes to the education system and
strong campaigns to get more women into the science/math fields they are facing
a big threat. As well, giving incentives to companies to invest in canada means
they need to create a better skilled workforce in Canada
·
Richard Florida, “The World is Spiky.” The Atlantic Monthly (October 2005)
Questions:
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6. What does Florida mean when he claims that the world is in fact spiky?
● The world is not an equal playing field, there are cities that create innovations
which are the tallest peaks, there are economic hills where manufacture the
worlds established goods take it calls and supports innovation engines, and vast
valleys with little connection to the economy
·
7. What role has urbanization played in this development?
● · many innovative people move to live together and even though there is
internet, ideas flow more freely are honed more sharply and can be put in place
more quickly when there are many innovators and implementers and financial
bankers in constant contact.
8. Why might it be the case that “concentrations of creative and talented people are
particularly important for innovation” (p. 50)? Do you agree?
● · I agree, I think that it is a positive thing for innovators to be in close proximity
because there are some things that can’t be communicated over technology,
they can feed off each others ideas when they are in person more than on the
computer.
9. So, does it matter where you happen to be, or can you be anywhere and be
successful in today’s world?
● · I think you can be successful to some extent in any part of the world, but I
think there is a plateau point that in order to advance one’s career to the next
level they will have to physically move. I think there are certain opportunities that
are more likely to present themselves when you are the specific location.
10. Do you agree with Florida that the growth in competition, inequality, and division is
a bigger and more threatening story than the slight flattening of the world (see p.
51)? Will globalization produce a growing anti-globalization backlash?
● · I think it will be impossible to stop, people want what is best for their
company so they will go wherever they need to go in order to achieve that. The
best solution is to see what we can for individual communities to make them
thrive in the new world.
Tutorial 2 – Questions
Donald L. Horowitz, “The Cracked Foundations of the Right to Secede.”
Journal of Democracy vol. 14, no. 2 (April 2003), 5-17, and Heywood, chap. 5, p. 114
Questions:
1. What is the principle of national self-determination? Is this a democratic idea?
Why might it be controversial?
● Creation of national governmental institutions by a group of people who
view themselves as a distinct nation (for example, because they have a
common language). National self-determination is opposed to colonialism
and imperialism.
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●Can snowball into many different groups wanting to govern themselves.
Can mean that they govern a certain territory which will take away the
sovereignty of the certain nation.
●National self-determination was equal to democratic self-government.
·
2. “The analogy of collective self-determination to individual autonomy is entirely
specious” (p. 7). What is the analogy? Why does Horowitz consider it to be
specious? Do you agree?
● It comparing it to an entire species instead of a certain organism from the species
● The collective identity fluctuates which individual identity doesn’t
● Do i agree? idk
3. Does secession threaten the peace, for instance by transforming domestic ethnic
disputes into international ones, or by promoting ethnic cleansing? What is
irredentism, and what role might it play?
● Secession does threaten the peace by promoting ethnic cleansing because if a
certain collective group believes to be superior or different from the majority they
are a target. This is demonstrated by Jewish people in the Holocaust. Irredentism
is the belief that a certain territory should be annexed due to historical reasons.
The role it might play is certain groups might be forced to give up land due to
historical reasons. (First nations in Canada)
·
4. “Secession merely proliferates the arenas in which the problem of intergroup
political accommodation must be faced – and often more starkly” (p. 9). What is
Horowitz’s point here? Is it persuasive?
● Horowitz’s point is that secession just causes more and more problems within the
intergroup political accommodation that must be dealt with.
● Secession can hardly be said to solve the problem of intergroup accommodation,
except, of course insofar as it enables the former minority, not a new majority, to
cleanse the secessionist state of its minorities – which it could not do previously
– and induces the rump state to do the same with numbers of the secessionist
group who find themselves left on the wrong side.
● Horowitz’s makes a persuasive argument, but the issue is what can be used as a
replacement for secession that can fix its wrongs?
5. “The right direction for international boundaries is upward, not downward, so that
states are so heterogeneous that no one group can plausibly dominate others”
(p. 10)? What do you think of this? To what extent is India, with its complex
ethnic makeup, a model case?
● It is a model case because all the factions of India protect each other from
becoming too powerful. This is juxtaposed with the case of Rwanda, where the
Hutu and Tutsi are the two main factions and in the 1990’s the Hutu majority
massacred Tutsis.
6. What are the likely effects, according to Horowitz, of a well-established
international right to secede? Do you agree that this right will do more harm than good?
● Territorially based ethnic discontent will likely be met with repression
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Thomas friedman, it"s a flat world after all. the new york times. 1. 0: from size large to medium, the dynamic force in that era was countries globalizing for resources and imperial conquest. 2. 0: medium to small, spearheaded by companies globalizing for markets and labor. Bad: some weird groups can now connect with each other, hacking. When the berlin wall came down, people can view the world as a single space, breakthrough in microsoft system, netscape caused overinvestment in fiber-optic cables. Depends, unless they make some serious changes to the education system and strong campaigns to get more women into the science/math fields they are facing a big threat. As well, giving incentives to companies to invest in canada means they need to create a better skilled workforce in canada. Richard florida, the world is spiky. the atlantic monthly (october 2005)
