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Thanks to quiz master Patrick Ryan and @TNWAC News Editor Campbell Lahman for this week’s quiz.
LAST WEEK’S QUIZ WINNERS
Hannah Osborne, Chapel Hill, NC
Julia Lydon, Nashville, TN
Colleen Ryan, Nashville, TN
Patricia Miletich, Nashville, TN
Peter Sharadin, Blandon, PA
Mario Lucio, Austin, TX
Zofia Hunter, Nashville, TN
Tim Stewart, Nashville, TN
Connie Ryan, Nashville, TN
Deborah Monroe, Nashville, TN
David Hillinck, Huntsville, AL
Yezzie Dospil, Nashville, TN
Monica Aung, Austin, TX
Adriana Scott, Austin, TX
Breean Masell, Austin, TX
Shania Castaneda, Del Valle, TX
Yadira Bueno, Austin, TX
Yasmin Griffin, Austin, TX
Nancy Williams, Rochester, NY
Laurie Bergner, Normal, IL
Susanne Frensley, Nashville, TN
Beth Obrien, Washington, IL
JANUARY 2022 QUIZ PRIZE
The Rise of Illiberalism
Thomas Main
Illiberalism, Thomas Main writes, is the basic repudiation of liberal democracy, the very foundation on which the United States rests. It says no to electoral democracy, human rights, the rule of law, toleration. It is a political ideology that finds expression in such older right-wing extremist groups as the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists and more recently among the Alt-Right and the Dark Enlightenment. There are also left-of-center illiberal movements, including various forms of communism, anarchism, and some antifascist movements.
The Rise of Illiberalism explores the philosophical underpinnings of this toxic political ideology and documents how it has infiltrated the mainstream of political discourse in the United States. By the early twenty-first century, Main writes, liberal democracy’s failure to deal adequately with social problems created a space illiberal movements could exploit to promote their particular brands of identity politics as an alternative.
A critical need thus is for what the author calls “positive identity politics,” or a widely shared sense of community that gives a feeling of equal importance to all sectors of society. Achieving this goal will, however, be an enormous challenge.
In seeking actionable remedies for the broken political system of the United States, this book makes a major scholarly contribution to current debates about the future of liberal democracy.
LAST WEEK’S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What in the World? Quiz – Week of January 10-16, 2022
1. Security forces in THIS former Soviet republic have stabilized unrest that wracked the country last week with the aid of 2,500 troops from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. There were 164 people killed and 6,000 detained with a door-to-door search ongoing and a “shoot to kill” order from President Tokayev. (#WACquiz)
A. Uzbekistan
B. Kazakhstan
C. Tajikistan
D. Azerbaijan
Correct Response: B. Kazakhstan
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/09/kazakhstan-protests-stabilized-russia/
2. On the two-year anniversary of the assassination of THIS key Iranian figure by an American drone strike at the Baghdad airport, the current head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Forces renewed pledges of revenge against the United States. (#WACquiz)
A. Ayatollah Syed Mohamman Mosawi
B. Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani
C. Ayatollah Ali Akbar Ghoreishi
D. Militia leader Muqtadah al-Sadr
Correct Response: B. Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-revolutionary-guards-commander-says-revenge-coming-for-soleimani-strike-from-within-us
3. Both Russian and American officials downplayed the possibility of a diplomatic solution to Moscow’s threat of a Ukrainian invasion in upcoming talks. Meanwhile, American air forces have been conducting operations over Ukraine and naval forces have sailed in THIS adjacent body of water. (#WACquiz)
A. Baltic Sea
B. Mediterranean Sea
C. Black Sea
D. Caspian Sea
Correct Response: C. Black Sea
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/09/world/europe/russia-ukraine-us-geneva.html
4. Turkey has warned THIS neighbor and NATO partner that it would be an act of war for it to extend its territorial sea limit from six to 12 nautical miles among its Aegean Islands as it had done in its western region. (#WACquiz)
A. Greece
B. Syria
C. Cyprus
D. Italy
Correct Response: A. Greece
https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-canada-greece-turkey-5a61426fbbc95161471cdf24c8e4eba6
5. British army officer and physiotherapist Preet Chandri, who is of Indian heritage and the Sikh faith, is believed to be the first woman of color to complete THIS achievement. (WACA WWNU)
A. Completed climbs to the summits of the tallest mountains on six continents.
B. Completed the 700-mile trek to the South Pole.
C. Completed a solo circumnavigation of the world by sailboat.
D. Completed a solo circumnavigation of the world by balloon.
Correct Response: B. Completed the 700-mile trek to the South Pole.
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/04/1070204859/preet-chandi-first-woman-of-color-solo-antarctica-expedition
6. The United States has rejoined THIS body after the Trump Administration pulled out over criticism of Israel and is poised to challenge China over freedoms in Hong Kong and repression of the Uyghurs. (#WACquiz)
A. United Nations Human Rights Council
B. United Nations Security Council
C. United Nations High Commission on Refugees
D. UNESCO
Correct Response: A. United Nations Human Rights Council
https://www.economist.com/china/2022/01/08/china-and-america-prepare-for-a-human-rights-showdown-at-the-un
7. The Africa Cup of Nations, or AFCON, is a biennial tournament of THIS sport that has brought 24 African teams to Cameroon. It also highlighted mismanagement in the country’s sports authority, the Covid battle and the civil war between Francophone and Anglophone populations. (#WACquiz)
A. Golf
B. Football
C. Tennis
D. Cricket
Correct Response: B. Football
https://africa.espn.com/football/africa-cup-of-nations/story/4565357/cameroon-at-a-crossroads-as-africa-cup-of-nations-arrives–finally
8. Iranian hardliners are resisting returning to THIS agreement limiting its nuclear enrichment activities. Tehran initially continued compliance despite the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018. However, it now is enriching uranium to near-weapons grade. (#WACquiz)
A. The Geneva Protocol
B. 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
C. Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
D. The Persian Gulf Compact
Correct Response: C. Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2021/11/08/the-wests-stand-off-with-iran-could-escalate
9. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is facing country-wide demonstrations and unrest, was the hand-picked successor of THIS Kazakh President who ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron hand from before the breakup of the USSR. THIS former president was believed to continue to wield power in the country behind the scenes. (#WACquiz)
A. Nursultan Nazarbayev
B. Shavkat Mirziyoyev
C. Sooronbai Jeenbekov
D. Akja Nurberdiýewa
Correct Response: A. Nursultan Nazarbayev
10. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic promised to fight to end the “harassment of the world’s best tennis player,” after Australia denied entry to THIS twenty-time Grand Slam champion. He had initially been granted an exemption from Australia’s Covid-19 vaccination requirements to play in the Australian Open. (#WACquiz)
A. Vlade Divac
B. Novak Djokovic
C. Marko Đorđević
D. Sreten Mirković
Correct Response:
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/exclusive-novak-djokovic-denied-entry-australia-seeking-injunction-stop-2022-01-05/
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