Review for Iran, Nigeria, and Mexico

This Wednesday you will have a test that covers Chapters 9, 10, and 11 in the O'neil book for the multiple choice portion.  For the FRQ portion, the subject matter will be both country specific to Iran, Nigeria and Mexico, but it will also cover concepts such as globalization, ethnicity, political violence as they relate to the countries.

First read these articles (Iran, Nigeria, Mexico) and comment, keeping a thought to the concepts you wil be tested on, then get to work on reviewing.  We will do a practice FRQ towards the end of class.

Freedom House analysis of Nigeria in 2012

Go here to read an extremely detailed and illuminating analysis of the current state of Nigeria's illiberal democracy by Freedom House.  Comments, questions and analysis welcomed below.  Quarter's almost over!  Boost that participation grade!

Iran, Nigeria, Mexico and the Media

These three countries give an opportunity to look at the different roles of the media in underdeveloped countries.  Go to the following sites for Nigeria, Iran and Mexico and answer the following prompts:

1.  Compare and contrast the ways the media affects political culture in each of the countries.
2.  Analyze how the history of each of the countries is reflected in the nature of media coverage.
3.  What do you believe is the "formative event" in shaping the political culture in each of these countries?  Explain your reasoning.

The Chinese Renaissance

Forget da Vinci, Botticelli, and Titian.  The new Chinese President Xi Jinping (replacing Hu Jintao) and premier Li Keqiang (replacing Wen Jibao) vow to end corruption and extravagance with their new leadership.  Read more details here.

Comments, questions and responses below!

Religious influence in Nigeria and Iran

Ahmadinejad has been criticized by many for his actions at the funeral of leftist leader Hugo Chavez.  In Nigeria, the militant extremist group Boko Haram is a constant threat to stability, but the government and President Goodluck Johnathan are not doing a good job of portraying stability and trust either.

What do you think?  In what ways does this illustrate COGOPO concepts about LDCs and NICs?

Violence in Mexico, an Iranian gas-pipeline and discrimination in Nigeria

Consider the following questions:

How does the seemingly endless violence in Mexico illustrate problems of governance for this newly industrialized country (NIC)?  Does the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline create problems for the US?  Should the US block their development with sanctions?  Why or why not?  What does legalized discrimination against homosexuals say about Nigerian democracy?

In your responses, always keep in mind how these articles can be used to help illustrate important COGOPO concepts.

Russia and China FRQ

For the FRQ tomorrow you should focus on economic and political changes in China and Russia over the past 20 years (focus on the Chinese legal system and Putin's impact).  See you tomorrow!

And a link to a really interesting article about the internet allowing more (anonymous) freedom of expression in China for political cartoonists.  Here is a sample:


Pretty cool right?!?

Listen to this NPR story about the National People's Congress opening and preparing for a leadership change and this story about thugs descending on a farming village and being beaten back by the villagers.