“What in the World?” Quiz – Week of June 11-17, 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

Yezzie Dospil, Nashville, TN

Charles Bowers, Nashville, TN

David Hillinck, Huntsville, AL

Shirley Glenn, Franklin, TN

Tonya Glasgow, Lebanon, TN

Mike Bush, Nashville, TN

David Bordenkircher, Nashville, TN

 

Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World’s Oceans
by James Stavridis

From one of the most admired admirals of his generation—and the only admiral to serve as Supreme Allied Commander at NATO—comes a remarkable voyage through all of the world’s most important bodies of water, providing the story of naval power as a driver of human history and a crucial element in our current geopolitical path.

From the time of the Greeks and the Persians clashing in the Mediterranean, sea power has determined world power. To an extent that is often underappreciated, it still does. No one understands this better than Admiral Jim Stavridis. In Sea Power, Admiral Stavridis takes us with him on a tour of the world’s oceans from the admiral’s chair, showing us how the geography of the oceans has shaped the destiny of nations, and how naval power has in a real sense made the world we live in today, and will shape the world we live in tomorrow.

Not least, Sea Power is marvelous naval history, giving us fresh insight into great naval engagements from the battles of Salamis and Lepanto through to Trafalgar, the Battle of the Atlantic, and submarine conflicts of the Cold War. It is also a keen-eyed reckoning with the likely sites of our next major naval conflicts, particularly the Arctic Ocean, Eastern Mediterranean, and the South China Sea. Finally, Sea Power steps back to take a holistic view of the plagues to our oceans that are best seen that way, from piracy to pollution.

When most of us look at a globe, we focus on the shape of the of the seven continents. Admiral Stavridis sees the shapes of the seven seas. After reading Sea Power, you will too. Not since Alfred Thayer Mahan’s legendary The Influence of Sea Power upon History have we had such a powerful reckoning with this vital subject.

About the Author

Adm. Jim Stavridis, USN (Ret.) is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who spent over 35 years on active service in the Navy. He commanded destroyers and a carrier strike group in combat and served for seven years as a four-star admiral, including nearly four years as the first Navy officer chosen as Supreme Allied Commander for Global Operations at NATO. After retiring from the Navy he was named the dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2013. He has written articles on global security issues for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic.

More information and ordering

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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 June 4-10, 2017

1. A bombing in Kabul last week killed at least 80 people in one of the war’s worst attacks on civilians. The conflict in Afghanistan, the United States’ longest war, was originally called “Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan.” What year did it begin?
A. 1998
B. 2001
C. 2003
D. 2005
Correct answer: B. 2001
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/world/asia/kabul-explosion-afghanistan.html

2. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE along with Egypt and Yemen severed relations with fellow GCC member state Qatar and cut off land, air and sea connections with it. What other GCC countries did not participate in the diplomatic action:
A. Kuwait and Iraq
B. Iraq and Jordan
C. Jordan and Oman
D. Oman and Kuwait
Correct answer: D. Oman and Kuwait
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/world/middleeast/qatar-saudi-arabia-egypt-bahrain-united-arab-emirates.html

3. This week marked the 28th anniversary of the massive crackdown of pro-democracy dissidents known as the ’89 Democracy Movement in China. Troops with assault rifles backed by tanks killed several hundred protestors in THIS PLACE:
A. Forbidden City
B. Tiananmen Square
C. Temple of Heaven
D. Beijing National Stadium
Correct answer: B. Tiananmen Square
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/04/on-tiananmen-square-anniversary-detentions-in-china-and-candlelight-vigil-in-hong-kong/

4. Last week President Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement to voluntarily reduce polluting emissions. Which statement is NOT TRUE:
A. Nicaragua and Syria were previously the only non-signatories to the Paris climate accord.
B. The President said he wanted to reopen negotiations on a climate accord to achieve a better deal.
C. The US withdrawal from Paris will have little impact on climate change because American emissions are so small.
D. The US must wait four years for the withdrawal to take effect.
Correct answer: C. The US withdrawal from Paris will have little impact on climate change because American emissions are so small.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/watch-live-trump-announce-decision-paris-climate-agreement/

5. The Trump Administration sought to reassure America’s allies in Asia that it was a reliable partner in the face of a loss of credibility and a sense that the United States was entering a new isolationist period. THIS OFFICIAL was in Singapore last week to tell allies the US could be counted upon in the face of North Korea’s missile program and China’s militarization.
A. Secretary of Defense Mattis
B. National Security Advisor McMaster
C. Secretary of State Tillerson
D. Senior Advisor to the President Kushner
Correct answer: A. Secretary of Defense Mattis
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/336278-us-defense-leaders-offer-asia-reassurances-in-age-of-trump

6. Attention is turning to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza as Israelis and Palestinians approach the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Six-day War. Which statement is NOT TRUE.
A. Israel and Palestine stand to gain about $170 billion in their economies over ten years if a two-state solution could be forged.
B. More than 10,000 Palestinians from the West Bank work in Israel.
C. Palestinians from Gaza are prohibited from working in Israel.
D. Unemployment among youth in Gaza is about 60 percent.
Correct answer: B. More than 10,000 Palestinians from the West Bank work in Israel.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/50-years-on-israel-keeps-tight-grip-on-palestinian-economy/2017/06/04/5fd6251c-48ed-11e7-8de1-cec59a9bf4b1_story.html

7. Iraqi Shi’ite paramilitaries took a key town in the north tightening the noose around Islamic State forces as the campaign to retake THIS strategic city approached its eighth month.
A. Raqqa
B. Irbil
C. Tikrit
D. Mosul
Correct answer: D. Mosul
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-paramilitary-iraq-idUSKBN18V0C6

8. Venezuela’s President announced a vote to elect a constituent assembly on July 30th in an effort to quell near-daily protests against the government. Opponents claim he is trying to sidestep national elections and demands for an end to food and medicine shortages. The President of Venezuela is:
A. Nicolas Maduro
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Rafael Caldera
D. Carlos Andres Perez
Correct answer: A. Nicolas Maduro
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-vote-idUSKBN18V0XL

9. The Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) warned that the region’s “open borders are being exploited by terrorist groups to facilitate personnel and material” movements. Indonesia, Mayalsia and the Philippines – which include thousands of islands – have been especially subject to terrorist movements. The new warning specifically addressed THIS group.
A. Al Qaeda-Pacific (AQP)
B. Islamic State (IS)
C. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)
D. Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
Correct answer: B. Islamic State (IS)
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-security-islamicstate-idUSKBN18V0JI

10. This European leader made headlines last week with the assertion that President Trump was not a reliable partner following NATO and G-7 meetings among the leaders. Which EU head of state said Europe needed to “take our fate into our own hands”?
A. Italian President Sergio Mattarella
B. French President Emmanuel Macron
C. United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May
D. German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Correct answer: D. German Chancellor Angela Merkel

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