“What in the World? Weekly Quiz" | Apr 19-25, 2021

A global affairs awareness service provided by the
Tennessee World Affairs Council

CLICK IMAGE FOR QUIZ

Thanks to quiz master Patrick Ryan for this week’s quiz.

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ WINNERS

Steven Lawrence, Morristown, TN
Steve Freidberg, Boston, MA
Joseph Mendenhall, Bedford, TX
Herb Marsh, Lincoln, NM
Pete Griffin, Nashville, TN
Barbara Gubbin, Jacksonville, FL
Charles Bowers, Seattle, WA
Sarah Plumb, Nashville, TN
Austin Travis, Nashville, TN
Patricia Miletich, Nashville, TN
Yezzie Dospil, Nashville, TN
Jennifer Gustafson, Brentwood, TN
Donald McKenzie, Nashville, TN
Roger French, Washington, IL
Judy Zipdfel, Peoria, IL
Mur Wilkinson, Streator, IL
Lahman Campbell, Nolensville, TN

WELL DONE!

You will be eligible for our end of month quiz prize if you become a TNWAC member. Join today to be in the running for the December quiz prize.

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April 2021 – Quiz Prize

Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order

by Kathryn E. Stoner

An assessment of Russia that suggests that we should look beyond traditional means of power to understand its strength and capacity to disrupt international politics.

Too often, we are told that Russia plays a weak hand well. But, perhaps the nation’s cards are better than we know. Russia ranks significantly behind the US and China by traditional measures of power: GDP, population size and health, and military might. Yet 25 years removed from its mid-1990s nadir following the collapse of the USSR, Russia has become a supremely disruptive force in world politics. Kathryn E. Stoner assesses the resurrection of Russia and argues that we should look beyond traditional means of power to assess its strength in global affairs. Taking into account how Russian domestic politics under Vladimir Putin influence its foreign policy, Stoner explains how Russia has battled its way back to international prominence.

From Russia’s seizure of the Crimea from Ukraine to its military support for the Assad regime in Syria, the country has reasserted itself as a major global power. Stoner examines these developments and more in tackling the big questions about Russia’s turnaround and global future. Stoner marshals data on Russia’s political, economic, and social development and uncovers key insights from its domestic politics. Russian people are wealthier than the Chinese, debt is low, and fiscal policy is good despite sanctions and the volatile global economy. Vladimir Putin’s autocratic regime faces virtually no organized domestic opposition. Yet, mindful of maintaining control at home, Russia under Putin also uses its varied power capacities to extend its influence abroad. While we often underestimate Russia’s global influence, the consequences are evident in the disruption of politics in the US, Syria, and Venezuela, to name a few. Russia Resurrected is an eye-opening reassessment of the country, identifying the actual sources of its power in international politics and why it has been able to redefine the post-Cold War global order.

LAST WEEK’S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What in the World? Quiz – Week of Apr 12-18, 2021

1. The parties to the Iran nuclear deal met in Vienna last week to advance talks on resumption of the United States participation in the deal. Europeans served as go-betweens with Iran and the U.S. The 2015 agreement to limit Iran’s enrichment program was called THIS.

A. Iranian Enrichment Limitation Accord
B. New START II
C. Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
D. Vienna Accord

Correct Response: C. Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/09/iran-nuclear-talks-to-continue-next-week-after-breakthrough

2. Vladimir Putin’s leading critic returned to Russia after recovering from being poisoned, reportedly at Putin’s order. THIS opposition leader was thrown in jail and has launched a hunger strike to protest lack of medical care. Now prison officials threaten to force feed him.

A. Yulia Navalnaya
B. Alexei Navalny
C. Boris Nemtsov
D. Maria Kolesnikova

Correct Response: B. Alexei Navalny
https://news.sky.com/story/prison-staff-threaten-to-force-feed-putin-critic-navalny-after-hunger-strike-weight-loss-12273547

3. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday it was too early to talk about a boycott of this international event over charges of genocide.

A. 2022 World Cup of Football set for Qatar
B. Summit of ASEAN Leaders in Myanmar
C. 2021 Dakar Rally
D. 2022 Winter Olympic Games set for China

Correct Response: D. 2022 Winter Olympic Games set for China
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/12/olympics-china-boycott/

4. Clashes involving pro-British unionists in THIS capital and elsewhere in Northern Ireland resulted in the injury of 27 police officers and the arrest of eight people. The unrest follows the United Kingdom’s formal exit from the European Union at the end of 2020, a move that has shaken the fragile political balance in the British territory, where a segment of the population identifies as British and the rest as Irish according to “Daily Chatter.”

A. Londonderry
B. Dublin
C. Belfast
D. Edinburgh

Correct Response: C. Belfast
“Daily Chatter” of April 6, 2021

5. Since February 1, THIS country has profoundly shaped the trajectory of post-coup violence in Myanmar and blocked international efforts to restore stability. Although it has strong incentives to avert chaos or collapse, it more importantly views Myanmar as a battleground for preventing the encroachment of democratic values and Western interests on its periphery. [USIP Question]

A. Vietnam
B. Russia
C. India
D. China

Correct Response: D. China
https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/04/chinas-high-stakes-calculations-myanmar

6. Iran blamed THIS country for an explosion that caused a blackout at the Natanz nuclear facility. The attack disrupted the enrichment activities at the facility and may impact ongoing talks over the United States’ return to the Iran nuclear deal.

A. Saudi Arabia
B. Iraq
C. Israel
D. United States

Correct Response: C. Israel
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/12/world/middleeast/iran-israel-nuclear-site.html

7. Prince Philip, who died last week at the age of 99, was born into the royal family of THIS country, and he traced his ancestry to the royalty of Denmark, ¬Germany, Russia and Britain.

A. Greece
B. Norway
C. Netherlands
D. Czechoslovakia

Correct Response: A. Greece
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/prince-philip-dead/2021/04/09/04dee766-c5dc-11df-94e1-c5afa35a9e59_story.html

8. Nepal is battling its worst forest fires in years, officials said on Friday, with smoke wafting across its mountains and souring the air as it settles into the bowl that holds THIS capital city, according to Reuters.

A. Kathmandu
B. Kuala Lumpur
C. Tegucigalpa
D. Bangalore

Correct Response: A. Kathmandu
https://www.reuters.com/article/nepal-forestfires-pollution-idUSKBN2BW0XV

9. The Chief Prosecutor at THIS world body announced an investigation over war crimes allegations concerning Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel announced last week it will not cooperate in the investigation.

A. United Nations Security Council
B. International Criminal Court
C. Permanent Court of Arbitration
D. Geneva Court of Humanitarian Complaints

Correct Response: B. International Criminal Court
https://news.yahoo.com/israel-refuses-icc-war-crimes-164407131.html

10. Ten Turkish Admirals are in hot water with President Erdogan over a statement they signed in support of the Montreux Convention, an 85-year old maritime agreement governing use of THESE straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black Seas via the Sea of Marmara.

A. Hormuz and Bab el Mandeb
B. Bosporus and Dardanelles
C. Malacca and Caspian
D. Crimean and Istanbul

Correct Response: B. Bosporus and Dardanelles
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-erdogan-idUSKBN2BS1F4

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS AWARENESS AND EDUCATION OUTREACH

THE MISSION of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world.

THE VISION of the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.