Health, Human rights and Intervention Flashcards
(22 cards)
Human rights and economic growth relationship = China and India
Economic Growth:
China’s GDP = $18trillion, per capita = $12k
India’s GDP = $4 trillion, per capita = $3k
Human Rights:
China = Authoritarian government, many human rights abuses
India = Democracy, broadly starting to respect human rights and largest growing economy
China = ‘Economic Miracle’ showed the first signs of slowing down
By this time many Chinese people had come to enjoy consumerism
This economic downturn could lead to widespread protests thus sharpening the focus on human rights
The effects of no military action = Corruption in Zimbabwe
leader Robert Mugabe = during the 80’s and 90’s
Land reform – in the case of Zimbabwe; redistributing land from white colonials to black Zimbabweans
- much of the ‘better’ land and government resources went to Mugabe supporters and the process was found to be corrupt
- 43% of Zimbabweans lived below national poverty line
Inequalities
Evident in post colonial countries
Women in Afghanistan:
first given the vote in 1919 (one yr after the UK)
Since the 1980s and 90s and under the Taliban rule, rights for women have gradually been withdrawn and the Taliban version of Islamic Law has been enforced
Rights for women was cited as a justification for US invasion following the 9/11 attacks
Received ODA and had progress towards gender equality but tailban took over again in 2021 and it was revoked
Aboriginals in Australia:
Marginalised = Aboriginals got voting rights in 1967
life expectancy = 10 years less than average Australian
However there are three areas for concern:
1. Treatment of asylum seekers and refugees
2. Protecting the rights of disabled people
3. Treatment of the Aboriginal people
Bolivia:
President Morales = Indigenous himself
He is focusing on improving economic stability for the marginalised indigenous people by nationalising key industries and channelling the revenues into welfare programmes to tackle poverty
However, this is at the extent of neglecting female human rights
Australian immigration policy
Post Second World War = ‘white only’ policy to stop Chinese miners and Pacific Island labourers
Whilst still carefully controlled to this day, it has become a multicultural area with a rich mix of ethnic groups
Military intervention - War on terror
2003 Iraq war on terror:
- joint effort between USA and UK in reaction to 9/11 to fight terrorism
- emphasis placed on removing the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ (WMD) Iraq were suspected of
- cost $2 trillion
Success:
- US funded vaccination programme in Iraq, helped to reduce infant mortality by 75%
- democracy restored in 2005 as Iraqi’s voted in the first free election in 50 years
Failure:
- Undermined Iraq’s sovereignty
- Was reliant on USA support
- ISIS and militant groups took advantage of political instability to establish themselves and gain land (rise of extremism) due to the withdrawal of USA troops in 2011
- Media portrayal of WMD led to discrimination towards Islam
- Corruption flourished as Iraq ranked 3rd most corrupt in 2015
Military intervention
2011 Libya
Government were unable to protect citizens so UN authorised UK + France with help from USA to bomb
Success
- Gaddaffi government removed = repressing Arab spring protesters
- helped restore human rights and democracy
- Arab spring protesters were allowed to express themselves freely
Failure
- undermined national sovereignty = concerns about insufficient evidence
- governance collapsed since 2011
- allowed for extremist groups like Daesh to rise and take power
- Disagreement of Nato as the UK and France agreed to commit intervening generating tensions
Land grabs in Kenya
caused by the irregular privatisation of public land - started by president Moi during his long term office (1978-2002) as a resource to use as bribes
85% of country relies on agriculture for livelihood
88% of population have access to less than 3 hectares of land
Niger Delta
About 40 million litres of oil pollution are spilled annually across the Niger Delta by British oil companies Shell and BP = restricts access to drinking water and traditional livelihood in the Delta (fishing and agriculture)
Locals barely benefitted from oil industry as the revenues are going to the major ethic groups - the Yoruba
During the 1990s, the Nigerian military government repeatedly violated the Ogoni tribe’s human rights
Delta = home to more than 31 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, such as the Ogoni people, who believe the land and rivers are sacred -
around 1,000 Ogonis were killed - including the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a prominent Ogoni activist, in 1995.
30,000 people were made homeless as villages were burnt down
70% of people live on less than $2 per day in the Niger Delta
Geneva convention
The four Geneva Conventions are a set of international rules that try to regulate war
UK life expectancy
82.8 years for women
79.1 years for men
North = 77 M, 81 F
South = 80M, 84 F
Haiti
Background:
Haiti in the Caribbean is one of the poorest countries in the world
Experiences a wide range of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes
The need for development aid:
In 2010, an earthquake hit Haiti:
220,000 deaths
1.5 million people became homeless, having to live in emergency camps (tent cities)
People in these tent cities suffered an outbreak of cholera, killing more than 9,000 people
Aid:
Within months, over £12 billion of aid was pledged by governments, members of the public, IGOs (the UN) and NGOs (the Red Cross and Oxfam)
The money raised was used in a number of ways e.g. to provide emergency shelters and restore access to clean water
Concerns over what happened to the aid:
- Two years after the earthquake, 500,000 people were still living in temporary shelters without electricity, plumbing or sewerage
- Half of the money pledged should have been spent within 18 months (a condition), but only 40% of this had been spent
- The government and NGOs were unable to co-ordinate and use the money effectively
- Become dependent on aid = limiting progress and economic development
Success of development aid = United Nations mission for Ebola emergency response
Ebola in Africa
- first reported = 2014
- discovered = 1976
- 18 months after first case = 12,000 dead from disease
- UNMEER set up = 6 months after to coordinate the international response of NGO (such as the IMF)
- resulted in sharp fall during first half of 2015
- however, still spread due to fear of reporting, fatigue of the stringent precautions and denial by the hardcore population
- WHO declared the region ebola free in January 2016
- Cost over $4bn
Torture and Rendition - Guantanamo bay
The USA has been accused of Human Rights abuses in therenditions of suspected war criminals to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Torture and CID (Cruel, Inhumane andDegrading treatment)
Even though they claim to uphold the UDHR
Collapse of USSR
The USSR was a communist superpower made up of 15 republics, controlling several Eastern European satellite states.
In the 1980s, satellite states began rejecting Soviet control due to economic struggles and growing nationalism.
In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, symbolising the collapse of communism in Europe and leading to German reunification.
By 1991, the USSR peacefully dissolved into 15 independent countries, marking the end of the Cold War.
This collapse ended the bipolar world order, shifting power towards the USA and later contributing to a multipolar world.
Russia emerged as the main successor state, with Putin in power since 2000, leading to more authoritarian rule.
The event had lasting geopolitical impacts, including EU/NATO expansion and modern tensions with Russia.
Barriers to education
Gender discrimination
Extremism = Malala Yousafazai was shot by the Taliban to stop her campaigning for girls education
Cultural identity
Poverty
MDG’s = Millenium
The MDGs were a set of targets to help developing countries make social progress and fight poverty
The overall goal was to reduce the development gap between the developed and developing nations
The Goals ran from 2000 to 2015
Made progress for all 8 countries but progress was uneven
SDG’s = Sustainable
In 2015, seventeen SDGs replaced
the MDGs
These were to be achieved by 2030 as part of a new sustainable development agenda with the aspiration to:
End poverty
Protect the planet
Tackle climate change
Ensure prosperity for all
Fight inequality and injustice
The SDGs aim to build on the successes of the MDGs by going further to end all forms of poverty
The Goals call for action from 193 countries across the world, no matter how developed a country is
UDHR
1948
30 universal rights = 193 member states
Justify military intervention and treaties
UK human rights act
1988
sets out the rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to
some people believe that the UK has lost some of its sovereighty = can be overturned by the European court
Interventions
Development aid = Haiti
Trade embargo = EU imposed an arms embargo prohibiting supply of arms, services and tech to Russian Military
Military aid and indirect military action = US provided to Ukraine since 2022 - one package worth $775m - mainly weapons
Direct military action = UK and France 2011 Libya and 2003 UK and USA War on terror
1970
The UN asked developed countries to voluntarily commit 0.7% of their GDP to development aid
UK aid to Saudi Arabia
the UK continues to offer military aid to Saudi Arabia, despite Saudi’s appalling human rights record against women and their violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen. This aid is beneficial to both countries through the amount of trade generated, but Amnesty International have claimed that the military aid supplied by the UK has played a key role in human rights abuses in Yemen by Saudi Arabia.
