“What in the World? Weekly Quiz" | June 26, 2023

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Last Week’s Quiz Winners

Martha Trammell, Nashville, TN
Patricia Miletich, Ventura, CA
Barbara Gubbin, Jacksonville, FL
Don Samford, Eureka, IL
Chris Culverhouse, Auburn, AL
Michael Weiss, Rockville, MD
Bernie Drake, Peoria, IL
Tim Stewart, Nashville, TN
Christopher Marsh, Memphis TN
Jim Shepherd, Nashville, TN
Heike Heinzelmann Kranz, Germany
Barbara Cleland, Weston, CT

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Where the United States and China could collide.

On Dangerous Ground: America’s Century in the South China Sea

by Gregory B. Poling (Author)

A robust yet accessible history of US involvement in the world’s most dangerous waterway, and a guide for what to do about it.

Lamentations that the United States is “losing” the South China Sea to China are now common. China has rapidly militarized islands and reefs, projects power across the disputed waterway, and freely harasses US allies and partners. The US has been unable to halt these processes or convince Beijing to respect the rights of smaller neighbors. But what exactly would “losing” mean?

In On Dangerous Ground, Gregory B. Poling evaluates US interests in the world’s most complex and dangerous maritime disputes by examining more than a century of American involvement in the South China Sea. He focuses on how the disputes there intersected and eventually intertwined with the longstanding US commitment to freedom of the seas and its evolving alliance network in Asia. He shows that these abiding national interests–defense of maritime rights and commitment to allies, particularly the Philippines–have repeatedly pulled US attention to the South China Sea. Understanding how and why is critical if the US and its allies hope to chart a course through the increasingly fraught disputes, while facing a more assertive, more capable, and far less compromising China.

With an emphasis on decisions made not just in Washington and Beijing, but also in Manila and other Southeast Asian capitals, On Dangerous Ground seeks to correct the record and balance the China-centric narrative that has come to dominate the issue. It not only provides the most comprehensive account yet of America’s history in the South China Sea, but it also demonstrates how that history should inform US national security policy in one of the most important waterways in the world.

Looking for a few good books? Check out Foreign Affairs bookshelf. [Link]

LAST WEEK’S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What in the World? Quiz – Week of Jun 19-25, 2023

1. Antony Blinken met Chinese President Xi Jinping a year after his proposed trip to Beijing was derailed over THIS incident.

A. Pelosi Taiwan visit
B. Spy balloon shootdown
C. U.S. labeling Uighur repression as genocide
D. Provocative Chinese intercepts of U.S. aircraft

Correct Response: B. Spy balloon shootdown
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-15/blinken-heads-to-china-setting-low-expectations-what-to-watch

2. President Biden met with THIS NATO Secretary General ahead of a summit of the alliance’s 31 members. They likely also talked about his replacement when the Secretary General steps down in September.

A. Jens Stoltenberg
B. Ben Wallace
C. Mette Frederiksen
D. Ursula von der Leyen

Correct Response: A. Jens Stoltenberg
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/13/blinken-previews-robust-package-for-ukraine-with-nato-secretary-general-00101734

3. A search for survivors from a boat with 400-750 refugees that sank near THIS country was called off. About 100 survivors and 80 people who drowned were recovered in an incident that has raised questions about the sinking while the boat was being shadowed by THIS country’s coast guard.

A. Italy
B. Turkey
C. Greece
D. France

Correct Response: C. Greece
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/emotional-reunion-amid-despair-greece-searches-shipwreck-survivors-2023-06-16/

4. Russian President Vladimir Putin said nuclear weapons had been delivered to the territory of THIS ally, increasing the tensions over Moscow’s threats to use nuclear weapons in its stymied invasion of Ukraine.

A. Moldova
B. Kazakhstan
C. Georgia
D. Belarus

Correct Response: D. Belarus
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-16/putin-says-belarus-got-first-russian-nuclear-weapons-as-planned

5. This week THIS leader will be welcomed for an official State visit to the White House. The Economist said a pragmatic friendship with his country is “indispensable for America, because of its growing economic clout; the soft power of its enormous diaspora (which these days includes the heads of several big American companies) and a shared suspicion of China.”

A. Macron
B. Modi
C. Sunak
D. Kishida

Correct Response: B. Modi
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/16/politics/white-house-india-state-dinner-entertainment/index.html

6. Over 14,000 refugees have fled the civil conflict between the Army and the Rapid Support Forces militia in THIS country to the Central African Republic, placing major strain on CAR’s resources. Basic needs, such as water and public health infrastructure, are not available with the country’s current conditions.

A. Sudan
B. Kenya
C. Uganda
D. Ethiopia

Correct Response: A. Sudan
Source: https://www.dailychatter.com/stories/direction-hopelessness/

7. Dakar ordered the closure of some consulates after attacks against diplomatic officers. The attacks are said to be protests against the ‘corrupted’ government of THIS country.

A. Senegal
B. Mali
C. Algeria
D. Nigeria

Correct Response: A. Senegal
Source: https://www.dailychatter.com/stories/boiling-over-6/

8. Australia banned THIS symbol from being able to be displayed publicly. This ban comes as intelligence officials warn of the rise of far-right groups.

A. American Confederate symbols
B. Blood Drop Cross
C. Crossed Hammers
D. Swastika

Correct Response: D. Swastika
Source: https://www.dailychatter.com/stories/out-of-sight/

9. The European Union ordered THIS company to sell part of their advertising section after a two-year investigation found favoritism with its ad server. The action is only the latest EU pushback against it and other U.S. tech firms.

A. Google
B. Apple
C. Microsoft
D. Meta

Correct Response: A. Google
Source: https://www.dailychatter.com/stories/clash-of-the-titans-2/

10. THIS country stated it had no legal grounds to stop anti-Muslim protests that included burning copies of the Quran. In response, Turkey is blocking its NATO membership.

A. Norway
B. Sweden
C. Finland
D. Iceland

Correct Response: B. Sweden
Source: https://www.dailychatter.com/stories/a-burning-faith/

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Tennessee World Affairs Council Profile | Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee

Member, Center for Nonprofit Management

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.

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