GES 1980 Final Exam
(50 points)
This is a take-home exam. You may use any notes, books or other available resources to complete the exam.
Please indicate at the top of your exam your other assessment choice for unit 3.
FORMAT:
DUE:
Your responses must be typed, double-spaced and not exceed a total of 3 pages.
Read each question carefully, and thoughtfully answer the question asked!
Be sure to include specific information to support your answers.
If you use resources other than the textbook and class notes, include a bibliography.
Quoted material must be in quotation marks and cited; otherwise, it’s plagiarism.
To conserve resources, I encourage you to use 2-sided printing if possible.
No later than 9:00 AM Thursday May 12 – COB 2019 (you may turn it in early to my office)
No exams will be accepted after 9:00 a.m. Thursday.
1. There is an international discussion in progress about expanding the United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) to better represent 21st century realities (see selected excerpts on back of this page).
Arguments for reorganization include the need for greater representation for developing countries and
underrepresented regions as well as the evolving importance of countries as a result of demographic
and economic changes.
Would you support a change in the current permanent members, those 5* who have veto power (P5),
of the Security Council? (*note: Russia has replaced the original USSR as one of the P5 on the UNSC)
If so, which countries would you add and/or remove? Why?
If not, why not? What countries did you consider adding, and why did you decide against it?
Consider why you think the current permanent members do or do not fairly represent today’s world.
Your discussion should include specific countries that might be considered as possible permanent
members and why they do or do not warrant permanent membership in the Security Council.
Defend your answer based on what you know about the geographic – cultural, demographic, economic,
and geopolitical – realities of today’s world.
NOTE: This is a question about current geographic realities and the permanent UNSC members. It is
not a question about reorganizing the structure of the UNSC nor the rotating membership. (20 points)
2. The map on the “Announcements” page of the class web site* depicts the global distribution of a
certain geographic attribute/element/feature. What attribute is being mapped?
Defend your answer by discussing countries from at least 3 different regions of the world in the context
of the identified attribute – not only that a country or region is high or low but also why it is high or low.
* http://www.uccs.edu/chuber/ges-1000/postings.html (25 points)
3. The cartoon below reflects one of the key concepts in geography. In 1 word what is it? (5 points)
http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter5.shtml
Article 23
1.
The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. The Republic
of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics*, the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America shall be permanent members of the
Security Council. The General Assembly shall elect ten other Members of the United Nations to
be non-permanent members of the Security Council…
Article 24
1.
In order to ensure prompt and effective action by the United Nations, its Members confer
on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and
security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council
acts on their behalf.
Article 27
1.
2.
3.
Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote.
Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative
vote of nine members.
Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote
of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members…**
* NOTE: This charter dates from 1945. Russia replaces USSR today
** This is the rule of "great Power unanimity", often referred to as the "veto" power.
NEIL MacFARQUHAR.
Nov 8, 2010. (excerpts)
The idea of overhauling the Security Council, even by the slow standards of the
United Nations, has been under negotiation for about 18 years with no end in sight….
The main issues include how to expand the current council beyond 15 seats; whether
the seats should be permanent or elected; and whether new permanent members
would get a veto.
There is basic agreement that the council, outdated because it reflects the world in
1945 when the United Nations was founded, needs to be expanded to include
emerging powers….
Sonia Rothwell 7 Nov 2013 (excerpts)
Despite mounting pressure to revise its membership and the way it operates, the UNSC has successfully
resisted lobbying aimed at modernisation. Ultimately it is the granting of the precious veto to any new
member which is proving the biggest stumbling block to change…
The major criticism of the five permanent members (or P5) is that the panel lacks representation from
Africa and Latin America, provides a platform for waning rather than rising powers and does not have a
place for economically powerful nations such as India or Germany. Overall global influence is now pivoting
towards Asia and away from the West, meaning the composition of the UN Security Council reflects a
post-World War II colonial system that is woefully outdated but still powerful.