Citizenship in the World

Troop 270Mount Prospect, IL

IntroductionWe share the planet with more than 6 billion people.

Most of the people want:

• good health

• personal security

• freedom of religion

• freedom of speech

• choose our style of life

• elect are own leaders

In the United States, the Declaration of Independence defines the basic rights of people. However, many people outside the U.S. are not allowed to exercise their natural rights. How do we know?

The Internet and TV provides us easy access to information all around the world.

IntroductionWe must recognize that we are living independently. We depend on the other countries and they depend on us. Our actions impact other countries and their actions impact us.

Being a good citizen depends on your willingness to understand and appreciate the values, traditions, and concerns of people in other countries. (Req 1)

CitizenshipCitizenship can be acquired by:

1. blood - born to U.S. parents

2. by soil - the country you were born in.

3. naturalization (adults)

4. naturalization of parents (children)

Rights associated with citizenship: (Req 2)

• vote

• fair trial

• bear arms

• freedom of religion

• freedom of speech

• freedom of the press

Duties (Req 2)

• serve on juries

• informed about important issues so that you can make a good choice when you vote.

Citizenship (Permanent Residence)

Emigrate - people leave their own country to live elsewhere.

Immigrant Visa - an ID card that allows a foreigner to stay in the U.S. permanently. It's issued to people who wish to become lawful permanent residents (LPR's) of the U.S. LPRS's can:

• stay in the U.S. indefinitely

• work in the U.S.

• bring certain family members to the U.S.

• they must pay taxes but cannot vote.

Citizenship (Naturalization)

Naturalization (Req 2)To apply for citizenship:

1. you need an immigrant visa

2. demonstrate you know English

3. you need to know about U.S. history and how the government works

4. you have to pass an interview, an English test, a civics test, and take the oath of allegiance.

Obligations: (Req 2)

5. obey U.S. laws

6. serve in the U.S. armed forces

7. pay taxes

After taking an oath of allegiance, an applicant gets a certificate of naturalization (proof of U.S. citizenship). Now he/she can apply for a U.S. passport.

Citizenship (World)

Each person is not only a citizen of his/her nation, but also a citizen of the world. We have to respect cultural diversity and the rights of other governments.

The UN tracks information about how well countries care for their citizens.

1. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the monetary value of all final goods and services produced by a country.

2. A large GDP per person means a high standard of living. (p.17 chart)

3. Being a good world citizen requires speaking out and taking action against violations of human rights.

Comparative Political Systems

Power to Rule : Who has sovereignty?sovereignty - supreme authority and power to make, implement, and enforce

laws, and settle disputes about the laws.

Basic forms of government (political systems):autocracy - unlimited power to govern (one leader)

oligarchy - unlimited power to govern (few persons or minority)

democracy - unlimited power to govern (majority of citizens)

republic - limited power to govern (elected representatives)

theocracy – ruled by one or more religious leaders

junta – a military leader backed by armed forces who seized power

emir – the ruler of an Islamic nation

Comparative Political Systems

Constitutional Governments

Three requirements:

1. The government must be limited in its power

2. Follow a higher law

3. Have constitutional stability

Limited Power

The government and its officers must follow the laws. There is a limit which describes what they can do. If an officer violates the law, he/she can be removed from office.

Higher Law

The constitution is the highest law of the land. Individual rights are protected from infringement. It provides limitations on power. This is achieved through checks and balances.

Comparative Political Systems

Constitutional Stability

The constitution cannnot be changed without the consent of citizens, using established amendment procedures.

Nonconstitutional Governments

Authoritarian government – the authority to rule is in the hands of an autocratic leader or an oligarchy. The government rules without restraint or limitations. It’s not consitutionally bound and it is not responsible to the people. It remains in control as long as it pleases or until its overthrown.

Requirement 5a – Discuss the differences between constitutional and non-constituional governments.

5b. See chart p. 27; republic, federal republic, etc,

5c. See chart p. 27; and use a world map

Comparative Political Systems

Distribution of Power (p. 25)

Unitary government – all of the powers of the government are held by a single central source (dictator, single political party, ruling group, or parliament).

Federal government - is based on the division of powers between a national government and several local governments.

Executive and Legislative Branches (p.26)

Presidential government

1. executeive and legislative branches are independent of each other

2. the powers of executive branch are separate from legislative

3. both have equal power

Parliamentary government

4. The executive branch is made up of an executive chief and cabinet.

5. They are both members of the legislative branch

6. The exectutive branch is under direct control of the legislative branch

National Interest

public interest – these are domestic (internal) concerns (education, health care, taxation)

national interest – refers to issues that afffect foreign relations/foreign policy. Examples: military actions, international trade.

national security – defense of the homeland, preservation of borders, health and safety of the citizens.

nation’s economic welfare – health of its economy

foreign aid – transer of money, goods, services from one country to another for the benefit of both countries.

humanitarian assistance – acts of kindness in response to natural disasters, civil war, or outbreaks of disease.

The U.S. spreads its national values by providing foreign aid and humanitarian assistance.

National InterestInternational RelationsWorld problems cannot be solved by one nation, but require international cooperation. Examples:

1. Drug trafficking

2. Famine

3. Pandemics

Nations form temporary alliances. They pledge to support one another in times of conflict. Some form alliances around economic, environmental, humanitarian concerns.

Foreign Policy

This includes all the positions and actions a nation takes in its relationship with the rest of the world.

1. Isolationism – a nation refuses to get involved with the affairs of the rest of the world.

2. Unilateralism – a nation makes one-sided decisions, relying on its own resources

3. Bilateralism/multilateralism – a nation coordinates deliberate actions with two or more countries to achieve certain objectives.

National InterestForeign Policy (continued)

National interest is never static – it changes in response to changes in domestic and international fronts.

A good citizen pays attention to international issues and advises his/her elected officials on how to vote.

The World Order of Nationsfirst world nation - a modern country with top rate industrial and technological capabilities.

second world - an industrial country that is not as advanced or as prosperous as a first world nation.

third world – a poor country where high birth rates, poor health care, and lack of education contribute to a low standard of living.

fourth world – a country which is on the bottom of the economic hierarchy; people live in extreme poverty. The agricultural economy is based on subsistence farming which means that the crops and dairy products provide the minimum amount of food necessary to support the farm family.

The World Order of NationsEconomic Activities Around the World

primary sector – extracting raw materials from the Earth’s surface; agriculture, forestry, fishing, and mining.

secondary sector – transform raw materials into finished goods; manufacturing and construction

tertiary sector – intangibles, also known as services; these include retail trade, banking, investment services, health care, communications, transportation, and nonproift organizations. Most of the economic activities in the first world countries occur in the tertiary sector.

The World Order of NationsGeography

Where a country is located makes a big difference in whether it will prosper or struggle.

1. Farmers in temperate climates have a better chance of producing crops than farmers in other climate regions.

2. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts cause deaths, damage, and food shortages

The geographical location of a country is important.

The World Order of NationsNatural ResourcesNatural resources are important to a country’s economy.

1. Inexhaustible – sources of energy; sun, tides, water, wind

2. Renewable – crops, fisheries, forests, soils; these resources can be depleted by mismanagment.

3. Non-renewable – fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, natural gas; land, metals.

Coal, oil and natural gas supply 80% of the world’s energy and are not renewable. Nations form alliances to use and protect them.

Countries with abundant resources can thrive.

Countries with scarce natural resources are usually poor.

Place to PlaceCountries that are most successful trading with other countries have long coastlines with ports and harbors.

Some of the poorest countries are landlocked. Why? Because its difficult to get their goods to a port to ship to other countries. They have to use roads or rivers that cross national borders. In Africa, rebels illegally seize shipments.

The World Order of NationsPopulationPopulation growth is a global issue that has to be tackled by all nations.

The global community has to coordinate efforts to solve this issue.

Three quarter of the world’s population lives in third world nations.

80% of the population increase is in under developed countries.

Health of EnvironmentThe environment is also a global issue.

Sustainable development is important to the environment. Sustainable development balances the needs of humanity and industrialization with care for the environment.The main way to achieve sustainable development is through resource management. This involves decisions about which natural resources should and should not be developed.

So, population and pollution are global issues which require the world’s nations to act together as a team to solve.

International Trade and CommerceCountries exchange resources and products with each other. This is called international trade, global trade, foreign trade, or international commerce.

Economic Systems and Ideologies

Capitolism – is market basked; the law of supply and demand applies to capitolism. It’s also called free enterprise, private enterprise, or free market economy.

The entrepeneur drives the economy. Any person has the right to start and run his or her own business.

Competition is a key feature of the free enterprise system.

The U.S. government has to regulate certain economic activities to protect the public.

•Pure food and drug laws

•Anti-pollution standards

This econoimc system where the private sector produces goods and services and the public sector regulates business is called a mixed economy.

International Trade and CommerceEconomic Systems and IdeologiesSocialism is based on the idea that all citizens should be econoimically and politically equal.

They try to distribute wealth equally among all citizens.

1.Under strict socialism, the government owns and operates all businesses.

2.Countries that provide employment, housing, and healthcare are called welfare states.

3.A command economy or centrally planned is an economy in which the government controls the factors of production and distribution.

Communism: Cuba and North Korea are two of the few remaining communist countries.

Communism is based on a centrally planned economy.

Scarcity and Surplus

Countries depend on resources to produce goods and services such as natural resources, human capital, physical capitol, and technical knowledge.

International Trade and CommerceImport /ExportMost nations concentrate on producing what they can most easily and cheaply transport to other markets.

Free Trade, Barriers, Economic AlliancesWhen domestic producers are feeling the negative effects of importing goods, they will pressure the government to levy a tarriff on imports.

The tax raises the price of the imported product. The tariff reduces the quantity of imports and generates revenue for the government.

Industries can also pressure the government to impose quotas on the amount of items that can be imported.

Tariffs and quotas are called trade barriers because they block free trade.

International Trade Agreements and Economic Alliances

International trade agreements are treaties to develop and promote trade among nations. Nations often agree to buy specific products form each other. These treaties provide the participating countries with special treatment such as easing or elminating trade barriers.

International Trade and CommerceBalance of Payments and Foreign ExchangeBalance of trade – is the difference between the value of a country’s imports and exports. If the value of what a country exports is greater than what it imports, the country has a trade surplus. If the value of its imports is greater than the value of its exports, the country has a trade deficit.

Foreign exchange rate – is the price of one currency in terms of another. Exchange rates are important because they affect the relative price of domestic and foreign goods.

Tourists traveling abroad hope that their money is strong compared to the currency in the foreign country because meals, hotels, and sourvenirs will not cost much.

For example, lets say you went to the Phillippines on vacation. You see a pocket knife that you like. You ask your parent “how much does this knife cost?” Your parent uses the exchange rate to figure out how much the knife costs in U.S. dollars. He/she figures out its about $2. That’s not a bad price. The U.S. dollar is stronger than the money in the Phillippines, so the pocket knife is affordable.

1 U.S. dollar = 50 pesos.

A pocket knife costs 100 pesos, so how much does it cost in U.S. dollars?

International Trade and CommerceNow lets say you go to Europe on vacation. You see the same pocket knife and you ask your parent “how much does this knife cost”? Your parent uses the exchange rate to figure out how much the knife costs in U.S. dollars.

1 U.S. dollar = 100 Euros

The knife costs 1,000 Euros, so how much does it cost in U.S. dollars?

The exchange rate depends on the supply and demand for the currency in the foreign exchange market, so the rate changes every day. The exchange rate on a particular day is called the spot rate. The exchange rate for a particular transaction is called the cross rate. Foreign currencies can be bought or sold now and delivered in the future. The exchange rate used for these transcations is called the forward rate.

You can find foreign exchange rates in the business section of many newspapers.

United Nations SystemThe United Nations is a multinational organization established after World War II to ensure that nations would work together to avoid war in the future. It is neither a government nor a nation, so its has no sovereign power of its own.

The goals of the United Nations are to maintain international peace and the collective security and promote cooperation in solving political, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems.

Its key objectives for the 21st century include:

oPromoting the creation of independent and democratic societiesoProtecting human rightsoSaving children from starvation and diseaseoProviding relief assistance to refugees and disaster victimsoCountering global crime, drugs, and diseaseoAssisting countries devastated by war and the long term threat of land mines

Global Issues, Watchdogs, and AdvocatesBecause its easy to ignore issues that don’t seem to affect us, we tend to leave the world’s problems to the politicians. However, global issues such as environmental damage, contaminated food, and infectious diseases affect us all.

Activists such as watchdogs and advocates keep these problems in front of world citizens, policymakers, and intergovernmental agencies. United Nations organizations often appoint celebrities as goodwill ambassadors to bring attention to global issues.

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement dedicated to protecting human rights as outlined by the United Nations. This organization works to gain the release of people who have been imprisoned for theier political or religious beliefs, racial or ethnic origin provided they have not used or encouraged violence. They campaign to abolish the death penalty, torture, and degrading punishment. They advocate prompt and fair trials for political prisoners.

Cooperative for American Relief Everwhere (CARE)

CARE is an international relief agency dedicated to ending poverty. CARE provides food, disaster aid, health care training, self-help development programs, and economic opportunities.

Global Issues, Watchdogs, and AdvocatesInternational Red Cross

The mission of the International Red Cross is to provide protection and assistance to victims of armed conflict. Its efforts include visiting prisoners of war, tracing missing persons, and re-establishing contact between family members separated by war or disaster.

World Health Organization

The main purpose of the World Health Organization is to collaborate with governments, health professionals, and international organizations to increase the level of health of all people. WHO has a global strategy to improve primary health care.

International LawInternational Conventions and Treaties

These are formal pledges between nations regarding matters of common concern. Treaties are written contracts, which are considered legally binding on those nations that signed the agreements.

International Customs

These are international rules that have been practiced so long that courts regard them as unwritten laws. Most customary laws are based on Western culture and ideas. The laws are difficult to enforce because many non-western nations are not likely to agree to the terms of laws that differ from their own customs.

General Principals of Law

These are general principles found in the various legal systesm of many nations. One example is a nation’s right to defend itself. The International Court of Justice may base its rulings on genral principles of law.

Comity of Nations

This is when one nation respects another nation’s rules out of respect (in order to be courteous). This is used in diplomatic situations.

International LawInternational Court of JusticeoThe International Court of Justice is the judicial organ of the United Nations.oIt handles international disputes between nations.oThe Court tries only the cases in which both nations agree to accept the judgement of the Court.

International law is difficult to enforce. It is enforced by:

Embargoes – economic sanction; restraint on trade of a specific product or with a particular nation.

Retorsion - a lawful retaliatory act used by a nation to pressure another nation into reversing an unfriendly act. The action is identical or similar to the offense, such as imposing high tariffs or discriminatory duties.

Reprisal – an act of force in response to an illegal action against a nation. For example, if a country refused to repay a loan, the lending nation could legally seize its property.

War – This is the last resort. Sometimes the threat of war is enough to force a country to change its ways.

International LawInternational Court of Justice

The courts actions include judgements on hostage-taking, right of asylum, rights of passage, economic rights, and nationality.

International Criminal Court

This court tries individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Its goals are to promote the rule of law and ensure that those people responsible for the most jserious crimes do not go unpunished.

International Criminal Police Organization

INTERPOL is the world’s largest police organization. It maintains information (like DNA and fingerprints) to share with national law enforcement agencies and supports them in cooperative efforts to combat international crime. These crimes include:oTerrorismoFinancial crimesoDrug traffickingoHigh-tech crimesoTheft of art work

Representation AbroadA nation advances its foreign policy objectives through foreign assistance, official representation, and diplomacy. Maintaining a presence in foreign countries communicates a nation’s values and goals to the inhabitants of those countries.

The U.S. Department of State

The state department is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, providing direct advice to the president through the secretary of state. It coordinates U.S. representation abroad through Foreign Service employees at U.S. embassies and consulates in foreign countries. The Bureau of Consular Affairs protects and assists U.S. citizens overseas.

The U.S. Agency for International Development

The USAID manages U.S. economic and humanitarian assistance programs to promote sustainable development in more than 100 countries. They strive to improve health and living conditions, provide education and training, protect the environment and promote economic growth and agricultural development.

Representation AbroadDiplomatic Relations

Right of legation – the right to send and receive diplomatic representatives to foreign countries. A diplomat must be accredited to the foreign coutnry by presenting credentials to the foreign government.

Diplomatic immunity – diplomats are not subject to the laws of the nation to which they are accredited. This means diplomats cannot be arrested; however, if a diplomats behavior is inappropriate, or if he/she is unwelcome, the nation tell the diplomat to leave (persona non grata) or ask the sending country to recall him/her.

Embassy – the headquarters for a nation’s diplomatic relations with a host country. The embassy is usually located in the capital city and is headed by an ambassador.

Consulate – a consulate serves as a branch of an embassy and is located in a city outside the capital.

Consul general – person in charge of a consulate

Representation AbroadPassports and Visas

Passport – is an official document issued to a citizen by a government affirming the individual’s nationality. A passport permits a citizen to travel or live abroad.

Visa – this is a permit to enter another country and must be issued by the country one wishes to enter. It is a special seal stamped on a valid passport that indicates the citizen has permission to enter the country. Before going on a trip, the traveler applies for a visa at an embassy or consulate representing the country he/she wants to visit.

Expand Your Own BordersWorld Scouting

The World Organization of the Scout Movement is an international Scout association of more than 28 million scouts form 21 countries and territories. Its main goal is to promote the integrity and development of the scout movement worldwide. Every four years, they sponsor a world scout jamboree. This is an opportunity to meet scouts from around the world.

Reaching Out

Try to learn about other countries and cultures:oLearn a foreign languageoParticipate in a student exchange programoLearn about international issuesoLearn to cook international foods

Conclusion

As the world becomes more interdependent, people will find themselves working on teams with people from other countries. Its important to learn how to communicate with people from different cultures.