“What in the World?” Quiz – Week of Aug 6-12, 2017

Check your global affairs awareness with these ten questions taken from the week’s news reports provided via @TNWAC #TNWACquiz.

The only rule is to use the ‘honor system.’

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QUIZ WINNERS FROM LAST WEEK

JULY “WHAT IN THE WORLD?” QUIZ PRIZE WINNER*

PATRICIA PAIVA

CONGRATULATIONS!

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*Must be a TNWAC Member to win.  See www.TNWAC.org/join for membership info.

AUGUST “WHAT IN THE WORLD?” QUIZ PRIZE *

ASIA’S RECKONING

Richard McGregor

Richard McGregor’s Asia’s Reckoning is a compelling account of the widening geopolitical cracks in a region that has flourished under an American security umbrella for more than half a century. The toxic rivalry between China and Japan, two Asian giants consumed with endless history wars and ruled by entrenched political dynasties, is threatening to upend the peace underwritten by Pax Americana since World War II. Combined with Donald Trump’s disdain for America’s old alliances and China’s own regional ambitions, east Asia is entering a new era of instability and conflict. If the United States laid the postwar foundations for modern Asia, now the anchor of the global economy, Asia’s Reckoning reveals how that structure is falling apart.

With unrivaled access to archives in the United States and Asia, as well as to many of the major players in all three countries, Richard McGregor has written a tale that blends the tectonic shifts in diplomacy with bitter domestic politics and the personalities driving them. It is a story not only of an overstretched America, but also of the rise and fall and rise of the great powers of Asia. The about-turn of Japan—from a colossus seemingly poised for world domination to a nation in inexorable decline in the space of two decades—has few parallels in modern history, as does the rapid rise of China—a country whose military is now larger than those of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and southeast Asia’s combined.

The confrontational course on which China and Japan are set is no simple spat between neighbors: the United States would be involved on the side of Japan in any military conflict between the two countries. The fallout would be an economic tsunami, affecting manufacturing centers, trade routes, and political capitals on every continent. Richard McGregor’s book takes us behind the headlines of his years reporting as the Financial Times’s Beijing and Washington bureau chief to show how American power will stand or fall on its ability to hold its ground in Asia.

About the Author

Richard McGregor is a journalist and an author with extensive experience in reporting from east Asia and Washington. A 2015 fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., his work has appeared in the International Herald Tribune and Foreign Policy and he has appeared on the Charlie Rose show, the BBC, and NPR. His previous book, The Party, won numerous awards, including the 2011 Asia Society book of the year and the Asian book of the year prize from Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun.

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We’ll post the answers and the names of the winner(s) in next week’s quiz.

Here’s last week’s questions and answers:

WHAT IN THE WORLD? QUIZ

Week of Jul 30-Aug 5, 2017

1. China’s President Xi Jinping oversaw a massive military parade of troops, tanks, missiles and combat aircraft at a remote base in the Inner Mongolia region on Sunday marking the 90 anniversary of THIS organization. Analysts saw the display as both a flexing of China’s military might – it has the largest armed forces in the world – and of Xi’s hold on power in advance of a fall meeting of the Communist Party where a leadership shuffle is expected. What is the name of the Chinese military?

A. Armed Forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRCAF)
B. Brigades of the People’s Defense Force (BPDF)
C. Vanguard of the Communist Party (VCP)
D. People’s Liberation Army (PLA)

Correct answer: D. People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/30/asia/china-military-parade/index.html

2. The nuclear-armed state of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) test fired an Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Friday with an estimated range that could reach the United States’ Midwest. In the following days Washington’s reaction to Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear tests was to:

A. Deploy the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft strike group from its base in Japan to the Yellow Sea.
B. Fly nuclear-armament capable bombers over South Korea and test fire a Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) anti-missile missile to demonstrate the United States’ ability to defend regional allies.
C. Place South Korea-based US Army armor and artillery on alert and announce maneuvers south of the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ).
D. Twitter-warn North Korea that the U.S. was “done talking” and call on China to take action and use its leverage to change Pyongyang’s behavior.

Correct answer: B. Fly nuclear-armament capable bombers over South Korea and test fire a Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) anti-missile missile to demonstrate the United States’ ability to defend regional allies.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN1AF02K

3. President Vladimir Putin took THIS action in response to American sanctions against Russia.

A. Ordered the closure of US-based banks operating in the Russian Federation.
B. Seized two diplomatic properties and ordered the US to cut its embassy staff by 755 by September 1st.
C. Nationalized American corporate holdings of oil and gas firms operating in Russia.
D. Announced travel restrictions for American diplomats, ending travel beyond five miles of residence compounds.

Correct answer: B. Seized two diplomatic properties and ordered the US to cut its embassy staff by 755 by September 1st.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/world/europe/russia-sanctions-us-diplomats-expelled.html

4. A US Navy warship involved in a formation exercise fired warning shots at an approaching patrol vessel in the Northern Persian Gulf last week after it ignored warning radio calls, flares and ship’s whistle blasts. The vessel was operated by:

A. Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN)
B. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGN)
C. Revolutionary Guard Quds Force
D. Iraqi Badr Corps Navy (IBCN)

Correct answer: B. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGN)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/07/25/US-Navy-ship-fires-warning-shots-at-Iranian-ship-in-Persian-Gulf/3211500997047/

5. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced Sunday the Federal Police had disrupted a terrorist plot after raids at five locations in Sydney. The plotters were planning to:

A. Attack a police station with a car bomb.
B. Attack pedestrians at a downtown street fair with a truck.
C. Detonate a bomb at a sporting event.
D. Detonate an improvised device on a plane.

Correct answer: D. Detonate an improvised device on a plane.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/07/30/Australia-foils-Islamist-inspired-plane-bombing-plot/6921501422804

6. Police and demonstrators clashed in deadly riots in Venezuela over the weekend as voting got under way Sunday. Government opponents claim President Nicolas Maduro was seeking to grab power by:

A. Disbanding the congress and removing term limits for the office of the president.
B. Nationalizing the oil industry and transferring oil sale revenues to the office of the president.
C. A referendum to outlaw labor unions, the press and political parties not registered with the government.
D. Installing a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution and override congress.

Correct answer: D. Installing a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution and override congress.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40769737

7. Saudi Arabia and three Arab partners renewed calls for Qatar to give in to a list of 13 demands to change its conduct following a break off in relations with Doha. The demands include shutting down state-supported Al Jazeera television and cutting ties with Iran. The three countries aligned with Saudi Arabia in the dispute with Qatar are:

A. The UAE, Kuwait and Oman
B. Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE
C. Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait
D. Oman, Jordan and Bahrain

Correct answer: B. Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40769235

8. The European Union started legal action against THIS member state for what is says are efforts to undermine the independence of judges in the country. An EU statement said, “The new rules allow the minister of justice to exert influence on individual ordinary judges through, in particular, the vague criteria for the prolongation of their mandates thereby undermining the principle of irremovability of judges.” What country is the target of the EU’s action?

A. Ukraine
B. Poland
C. Greece
D. Croatia

Correct answer: B. Poland
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-politics-eu-idUSKBN1AE0CD

9. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir labeled THIS action by Qatar to be an “act of war” even though Qatar denies it ever made such a call. Jubeir said Qatar wanted to do THIS:

A. “Internationalize” the Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
B. Nationalize Saudi Arabian business interests in Qatar.
C. Petitioned other Muslim nations to move the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) from Saudi Arabia.
D. Called for the Saudi Crown Prince to step down over charges of actions detrimental to Arab unity.

Correct answer: A. “Internationalize” the Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-qatar-haj-idUSKBN1AF0L3

10. The Russian Navy was showcased in a parade of military might in St. Petersburg in front of President Vladimir Putin on his presidential cutter. Similar “Navy Day” displays were held in Sevastopol, in the Crimea region annexed from Ukraine by Russia, and in THIS overseas Russian naval facility.

A. Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam
B. Aden, Yemen
C. Tartus, Syria
D. Cienfuegos, Cuba

Correct answer: C. Tartus, Syria
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/30/world/europe/russia-parade-syria.html

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