“What In The World? Weekly Quiz” – Mar 16-22, 2020

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“Empire of Democracy: The Remaking of the West Since the Cold War”

by Simon Reid-Henry

The first panoramic history of the Western world from the 1970s to the present day, Empire of Democracy is the story for those asking how we got to where we are.

Half a century ago, at the height of the Cold War and amidst a world economic crisis, the Western democracies were forced to undergo a profound transformation. Against what some saw as a full-scale “crisis of democracy”— with race riots, anti-Vietnam marches and a wave of worker discontent sowing crisis from one nation to the next— a new political-economic order was devised and the postwar social contract was torn up and written anew.

In this epic narrative of the events that have shaped our own times, Simon Reid-Henry shows how liberal democracy, and western history with it, was profoundly reimagined when the postwar Golden Age ended. As the institutions of liberal rule were reinvented, a new generation of politicians emerged: Thatcher, Reagan, Mitterrand, Kohl. The late twentieth century heyday they oversaw carried the Western democracies triumphantly to victory in the Cold War and into the economic boom of the 1990s. But equally it led them into the fiasco of Iraq, to the high drama of the financial crisis in 2007/8, and ultimately to the anti-liberal surge of our own times.

The present crisis of liberalism enjoins us to revisit these as yet unscripted decades. The era we have all been living through is closing out, democracy is turning on its axis once again. As this panoramic history poignantly reminds us, the choices we make going forward require us first to come to terms with where we have been.

About the Author

1. THIS country has reported a massive jump in deaths from the COVID-19 coronavirus, with a 50% surge over the weekend giving it the second highest toll from the disease. This surge has lead the country to lock down a broad swath of its industrial northern region and prevent the free movement of roughly 16 million people.

A. Italy
B. Iran
C. Japan
D. Saudi Arabia

Correct Response: A. Italy
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/world/coronavirus-news.html

2. Over the weekend, mainland China reported THIS for the second straight day. As COVID-19 spreads to new regions and countries, Chinese authorities are keeping an eye on possible infections arriving from abroad.

A. The highest number of new cases of coronavirus since Chinese health authorities began reporting nationwide data
B. The increase of mandatory quarantine periods by an additional 48 hours
C. Zero new locally transmitted coronavirus cases outside virus epicenter Hubei province
D. The deportation of non-mainland residents displaying symptoms of the coronavirus

Correct Response: C. Zero new locally transmitted coronavirus cases outside virus epicenter Hubei province
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-toll/china-reports-zero-locally-transmitted-coronavirus-cases-outside-hubei-idUSKBN20W00Y

3. At the U.N.’s International Women’s Day observance, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called THIS “the biggest human rights challenge we face.”

A. Degradation of family values
B. Religious extremism
C. Fake news
D. Gender inequality

Correct Response: D. Gender inequality
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/08/un-chief-gender-inequality-biggest-human-rights-challenge-123536

4. Saudi Arabia slashed its export oil prices by nearly 10 percent over the weekend, a move seen as retaliation for THIS action. The cut has added more uncertainty to global markets already in turmoil due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A. America’s removal of sanctions on Iranian healthcare and medical imports
B. OPEC’s admission of Scotland as a member country
C. Russia’s refusal to join OPEC in a large cut to oil production
D. Canada’s condemnation of the arrest of members of the Saudi royal family

Correct Response: C. Russia’s refusal to join OPEC in a large cut to oil production
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/business/saudi-arabia-oil-prices.html

5. Violent confrontations, including the deployment of riot police and the burning of refugee centers, have resulted from an amassing of migrants at the Greek border amidst THIS geopolitical stand-off.

A. A dispute between Greece and North Macedonia over their shared border demarcation
B. A dispute between Turkey and the European Union over financial responsibility for migrants
C. A dispute between Turkey and Greece over the treatment of Muslims in Greece
D. A dispute between the European Union and Syria over the EU’s support for rebel elements in the Syrian civil war

Correct Response: B. A dispute between Turkey and the European Union over financial responsibility for migrants
https://apnews.com/7c923595928d964439588264393757c0?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow

6. The trial of four men begins this week in the Netherlands for their role in THIS. The four suspects are unlikely to take part in the trial because Russia and Ukraine do not extradite their citizens, but the court has prepared to accept testimony from them by video link.

A. The supply of illegal arms to separatists in the Donbas region
B. The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine
C. The bombing of civilian facilities in Aleppo, Syria
D. The attempted surveillance of NATO forces throughout the Baltic Sea

Correct Response: B. The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51725417

7. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials have announced that the last patient being treated for THIS disease has been released from a treatment center. The most recent outbreak in the DRC has been the second-deadliest of THIS disease in world history.

A. Ebola
B. SARS
C. Malaria
D. Cholera

Correct Response: A. Ebola
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/04/africa/drc-discharges-last-ebola-patient/index.html

8. Results from Israel’s elections last week, particularly THIS occurrence, have extended the country’s year-long political deadlock. The volatility comes as Israel prepares for the March 17 start to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s trial on corruption charges.

A. The Predominantly Arab Joint List secured an alternative coalition
B. Prime Minister Netanyahu and allies fell short of a parliamentary majority
C. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that an indicted politician cannot form a new government
D. Former military chief and opposition leader Benny Gantz resigned from politics

Correct Response: B. Prime Minister Netanyahu and allies fall short of a parliamentary majority
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/israel-netanyahu-falls-short-parliamentary-majority-200305194023544.html

9. Regional and international officials have condemned THIS latest action by North Korea, which follows just days after the country threatened “momentous action” in protest of outside condemnation over earlier live-fire exercises.

A. Reneged on negotiations over territory disputes in the South China Sea
B. Issued new propaganda criticizing South Korea’s response to the coronavirus outbreak
C. Doubled its troop presence along the DMZ
D. Fired several short-range missiles off its east coast

Correct Response: D. Fired several short-range missiles off its east coast
https://apnews.com/237c28e7704863f0f9464bbeaf78af89?utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow

10. Following weeks of intense fighting between Turkish-backed rebels and Syrian forces supported by Russia, Turkey and Russia have signed a ceasefire in THIS northwest province of Syria.

A. Aleppo
B. Raqqa
C. Idlib
D. Daraa

Correct Response: C. Idlib
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51763926?at_custom3=%40BBCWorld&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_campaign=64&at_custom4=95FF4830-5F65-11EA-85C4-8C944744363C&at_custom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7

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