Microcase
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Countries, often referred to as either "nation-states" or "states" in international relations, have been the primary international actors since the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years War in 1648. Let’s examine nation-states in international relations.
CLICK DATA FILE:
HISTORICAL
CLICK TASK:
Historical Trends
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
SOVSTATES
CLICK:
[Continue]
1. Approximately how many nation-states were there in 1900?
2. How many nation-states currently exist?
3. One explanation for the change in the number of nation-states over the last century has been the decline of imperial powers and the resulting process of decolonization, something that led to the creation of many new countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. Which of the following decades saw the greatest increase in the number of new nation-states due to decolonization? (1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s)
4. A second explanation for the large increase in the number of nation-states over the last century is the fall of communism, which coincided with the beginning of the disintegration of several states, including Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia. When did the Soviet Union collapse? (Hint: scroll through the events list on your screen.
The role a nation-state plays in the international system is largely determined by its power, which is a function of numerous factors including, but not limited to, the following: physical size, location, resources, geography, gross domestic product, population, and the size of the military. Let’s explore some of these factors.
CLICK:
DATA FILES
CLICK DATA FILE:
GLOBAL02
CLICK TASK:
Mapping
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
Area
CLICK VIEW:
List: Rank
CLICK:
[Continue]
5. List, in order, the five largest countries in terms of area.
Rank
Country Name
1
2
3
4
5
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
Population
CLICK VIEW:
List: Rank
CLICK:
[Continue]
6. List, in order, the five largest countries in terms of population.
Rank
Country Name
1
2
3
4
5
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
MIL FORCE
CLICK VIEW:
List: Rank
CLICK:
[Continue]
7. List, in order, the five countries with the largest active duty military forces.
Rank
Country Name
1
2
3
4
5
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
GDP
CLICK VIEW:
List: Rank
CLICK:
[Continue]
8. List, in order, the five countries with the highest gross domestic product.
Rank
Country Name
1
2
3
4
5
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
GDP/CAP
CLICK VIEW:
List: Rank
CLICK:
[Continue]
9. List, in order, the five countries with the highest gross domestic product per capita.
Rank
Country Name
1
2
3
4
5
10. China is Ranked higher than the United States in terms of geographic size, population and the number of active duty military forces, but is much lower on the Rankings of both gross domestic product and gross domestic product per capita. Discuss how a large population might actually limit a nation-state’s power as an actor in international relations.
11. Most analysts agree that the United States is the dominant global power. Based on the information you’ve collected above, which country do you believe should be Ranked second, and why?
Let’s examine the influence that loyalty towards one’s country has on its power.
CLICK:
DATA FILES
CLICK DATA FILE:
ISSP1995
CLICK TASK:
Univariate
SELECT PRIMARY VARIABLE:
CLS-CNTRY
CLICK:
[Continue]
12. What percent of respondents indicated that they felt either "very close" or "close" to their own country?
%
13. What percent of respondents indicated that they felt either "not at all close," or "not very close" to their own country?
%
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT PRIMARY VARIABLE:
Allow Sep.
CLICK:
[Continue]
14. What percent of respondents indicated that parts of their own country should be allowed to separate if they choose to do so?
%
15. How can both high and low levels of "allegiance" affect a country’s "power?"
%
Nation-states consist of two components. The "state" refers, generally to a political entity, a country, with clearly identified territorial borders, government, and rules for citizenship, among other things. The "nation" is a much harder term to define. It consists of a people’s shared historical experiences, religious beliefs, language, ethnicity, and culture, among other things. For international relations, nations are important because they often challenge states. For example, the state of Yugoslavia consisted of numerous nations, including Albanians, Bosnians, Croatians, Macedonians, Serbs, and Slovenians, among others. After the Cold War ended, the tensions between these "nations" resulted in the division of Yugoslavia, often through violent means, into several new countries. Let’s explore "nations" as actors in international relations.
CLICK:
DATA FILES
CLICK DATA FILE:
GLOBAL02
CLICK TASK:
Mapping
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
MULTI-CULT
CLICK VIEW:
Map
CLICK:
[Continue]
16. Which continent has the most countries in the highest category for multi-culturalism (72-91)?
17.
True or False
: None of the countries in North America has a multi-cultural rating higher than 36.
CLICK:
BACK
CLICK VIEW:
[List: Rank]
CLICK:
[Continue]
18. Identify the top two countries in terms of multi-cultural Ranking and their continents.
19. What is the Rank of the United States?
The ability of a nation-state to exercise power as an actor in international relations also is often influenced by the coalitions that it can build within its region, particularly with neighbors who sometimes, although not always, share similar characteristics and priorities. Economic development is one measure of a nation-state’s power. Let’s compare the various areas of the world on this dimension.
CLICK:
VARIABLES
SELECT VARIABLE 1:
ECON DEVEL
CLICK VIEW:
Map
CLICK:
[Continue]
20. Based on overall economic development, nation-states in which of the following continents would appear to have the least power in international relations? (Africa, Australia, Europe, North America, or South America)
Using economic development as an indicator we can also explore how much power is concentrated in a few states.
CLICK:
TASKS
CLICK TASK:
Univariate
SELECT PRIMARY VARIABLE:
ECON DEVEL
CLICK:
[Continue]
21. Industrial nation-states tend to exercise the most power internationally. What percent of states fall into this category?
%
22. List two factors, other than those already identified in this exercise, that contribute to the power of nation-states.
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