Polarity and Power

Agenda 1. Bell Ringer: Identify and describe a current event you’ve heard about

in the last 24 hours. (5) 2. Brief Lecture: Polarity then and now. (15) 3. Reflection and Discussion, which is it now? (10) 4. Bias in Media: Video analysis (25) WC Video Clip Comparing Media 5. Discussion: Is there a truly unbiased source of information? (10) 6. Around the World News Clip and Discussion (15)   HW: Letters due by Friday.

Interwar System Empires refused to play nice. As the Depression hit,

dictators were elected, campaigning on the fears of the people.

These dictators would attempt to expand under the general discord of the era.

After the war there would be another power vacuum.

Bi-Polar System A dangerous system, but it

also represented a stability in the era.

Unfortunately, war is always possible in this scenario.

Would not endure for several reasons Too expensive Third World Nationalism

hurt both countries. Pacific Rim became

prosperous without Cold War allegiances.

Multi-polar Several centers of power. Trading blocs are common

here, with intense competition for profit. “Chicken Tax” Harley Davidson

Compete through economics, not warfare. Blocs may not be individual countries.

Unipolar Bush 41 defined the United

States as this right after the Cold War ended in 1991. “New World Order” where

United States controls United Nations.

However, other countries fight back, and it takes warfare to assert power.

While we are militarily dominant, we tend to stay out of a lot of foreign affairs. Balance of the use of troops.

Counterweight Some countries resented

the power of the United States, especially after 2003.

Other countries come together to oppose US policies.

While they are no threat militarily, they do everything in their power to criticize US policies throughout the world.

Stratified Combines the uni-polar

and multi-polar system. Rich, high-tech countries Middle Income

industrializing lands “Zone of Chaos”

Dominated by crime, warlords, instability.

Rich countries cannot control the “zone of chaos” Worlds biggest industry? Crime.