“What in the World? Weekly Quiz" | Apr 5-11, 2021

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

CLICK IMAGE FOR QUIZ

Thanks to quiz master Matthew Jackson for this week’s quiz.

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ WINNERS (10s)

Charles Bowers, Nashville, TN
Donald McKenzie, Nashville, TN
Joseph Mendenhall, Bedford, TX
CJ Martella, Knoxville, TN
Steve Freidberg, Boston, MA
Meaghan Denniston, Knoxville, TN
Austin Travis, Nashville, TN
Beth O’Brien, Washington, IL
Yezzie Dospil, Nashville, TN
Judy Zipfel, Peoria, IL
Peter Sharadin, Blandon, PA

WELL DONE!

Hey! Dozens of quiz takers are on our weekly winners list. 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 Mar 29-Apr 4, 2021

1. The Suez Canal was blocked by the Ever Given, a massive container ship that grounded on Tuesday. The blockage delayed an estimated $400 million an hour in goods flowing through the Mediterranean Sea and THIS body of water at the southern approach of the canal.

A. Gulf of Oman
B. Black Sea
C. Red Sea
D. North Arabian Sea

Correct Response: C. Red Sea
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/25/suez-canal-blockage-is-delaying-an-estimated-400-million-an-hour-in-goods.html?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=Main&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616702338

2. The killing of protestors in THIS country continues. Over 100 were shot by police on Saturday alone. The United States halted all trade with it and other countries are lining up to install sanctions.

A. Syria
B. Belarus
C. Myanmar
D. Mozambique

Correct Response: C. Myanmar
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/29/politics/us-trade-suspension-myanmar/index.html

3. China agreed to invest $400 billion in THIS country over 25 years in exchange for a steady supply of oil to fuel its growing economy under a sweeping economic and security agreement signed on Saturday that demonstrates Beijing’s moves to be a major player in Middle East affairs according to the New York Times.

A. Saudi Arabia
B. UAE
C. Iran
D. Iraq

Correct Response: C. Iran
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/27/world/middleeast/china-iran-deal.html

4. A TV screenwriter was charged with insulting THIS President of Poland by calling him a “moron” after a presidential Tweet that fell short of acknowledging Joe Biden’s victory. He faces three years in prison. Poland, an EU member nation, which has come under fire from the EU over the past few years for cracking down on civil liberties, has been criticized for its broad insult laws. [“Daily Chatter” Question of the Week]

A. President Emanual Macron
B. President Andrzej Duda
C. President Alexander Lukashenko
D. President Milos Zeman

Correct Response: B. President Andrzej Duda
“Daily Chatter” Newsletter

5. Samia Suluhu Hassan, who became THIS nation’s sixth president this month following the death of her predecessor, has an opportunity to promote stability for her nation of 58 million people, say analysts and women activists in East Africa. As THIS country, which has split capitals of Dar es Salaam and Dodoma, confronts COVID and political division, Hassan could expand a history of African women leaders who have advanced stability and peace in moments of crisis according to a USIP report. [USIP Question of the Week]

A. Tanzania
B. Rwanda
C. Uganda
D. Kenya

Correct Response: A. Tanzania
https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/03/tanzania-gets-woman-president-thats-opportunity

6. Ethiopia’s prime minister said Friday that Eritrea has agreed to withdraw its forces from THIS region, where witnesses have described them looting, killing and raping civilians, according to the AP.

A. Djibouti
B. Eritrea
C. Darfur
D. Tigray

Correct Response: D. Tigray
http://apne.ws/23miN0M

7. The U.S. Intelligence Community informed the Biden Administration that international troop withdrawal from Afghanistan without a power sharing agreement between the Kabul government and the Taliban could result in the Taliban controlling most of the country within two or three years, opening a return of THIS group.

A. ISIS
B. Al Qaeda
C. Hezbollah
D. Revolutionary Guards

Correct Response: B. Al Qaeda
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/us/politics/biden-afghanistan-intelligence.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

8. Over the weekend, THIS government acknowledged that the Covid-19 death toll in the country was actually 321,000, about 60% more than had been reported previously.

A. Nicaragua
B. Costa Rica
C. Mexico
D. Guatemala

Correct Response: C. Mexico
http://apne.ws/7N61JIJ

9. President Denis Sassau N’Guesso won reelection to the office in THIS country he has held for 36 years, following the Covid-19 death of his opponent. The country, with its capital in Brazzaville, is smaller than its similarly named neighbor.

A. Angola
B. Republic of Congo
C. Uganda
D. Zambia

Correct Response: B. Republic of Congo
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-03-23/republic-of-congo-president-sassou-nguesso-declared-winner

10. Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a Covid-19 lockdown to forestall a third wave of coronavirus in THIS country.

A. Germany
B. Austria
C. Switzerland
D. Czech Republic

Correct Response: A. Germany
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/new-pandemic-germany-caused-virus-variant-prompts-lockdown-through-easter-n1261815?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

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.