2022 World Affairs Council of the Year
Network of Independent World Affairs Councils of America

“What in the World? Weekly Quiz” | March 20-26, 2023

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Last Week’s Quiz Winners

Lillian Metcalf, Saco, ME
Keno Smith, Dallas, TX
Tim Stewart, Nashville, TN
David Hillinck, Alexandria, VA
Steve Freidberg, Boston, MA
Mary Ellen Hamed, Louisville, KY
Chris Culverhouse, AL
Leslie Fort, Virginia Beach, VA
John Bull, Nashville, TN
Rich Buck, Peoria, IL
Yezzie Dospil, Nashville, TN
Barbara Gubbin, Jacksonville, FL
Seth Osborne, Chapel Hill, TN
Hannah Osborne, Chapel Hill, TN
Martha Trammell, Nashville, TN

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MONTHLY QUIZ PRIZES ARE AWARDED TO DUES PAYING MEMBERS OF THE TNWAC WHO ARE MONG THE WEEKLY WINNERS FOR THAT MONTH.

MARCH QUIZ PRIZE

The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan

by Elliott Ackerman

Elliot Ackerman left the American military ten years ago, but his time in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines and later as a CIA paramilitary officer marked him indelibly. When the Taliban began to close in on Kabul in August 2021 and the Afghan regime began its death spiral, he found himself pulled back into the conflict. Afghan nationals who had worked closely with the American military and intelligence communities for years now faced brutal reprisal and sought frantically to flee the country with their families. The official US government evacuation effort was a bureaucratic failure that led to a humanitarian catastrophe. With former colleagues and friends protecting the airport in Kabul, Ackerman joined an impromptu effort by a group of journalists and other veterans to arrange flights and negotiate with both Taliban and American forces to secure the safe evacuation of hundreds. These were desperate measures taken during a desperate end to America’s longest war. For Ackerman, it also became a chance to reconcile his past with his present.
 
The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week, the week the war ended. Using the dramatic rescue efforts in Kabul as his lattice, Ackerman weaves a personal history of the war’s long progression, beginning with the initial invasion in the months after 9/11. It is a play in five acts, the fifth act being the story’s tragic denouement, a prelude to Afghanistan’s dark future. Any reader who wants to understand what went wrong with the war’s trajectory will find a trenchant account here. But The Fifth Act also brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters, American and Afghan, who fought the war with courage and dedication, and at great personal cost. Ackerman’s story is a first draft of history that feels like a timeless classic.

Cover to Cover with Elliott Ackerman — hear from the author at our WACA conversation.


LAST WEEK’S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What in the World? Quiz – Week of March 13-19, 2023

1. President Biden was to meet Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese of the UK and Australia in San Diego to discuss their agreement to boost regional security in the Indo-Pacific including provisions for Australia to acquire nuclear powered submarines under THIS arrangement.

A. NATO
B. TPP
C. QUAD
D. AUKUS

Correct Response: D. AUKUS
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-13/us-allies-prepare-mega-submarine-deal-under-aukus-agreement

2. President Xi Jinping in unusually frank remarks accused the U.S. of leading a containment policy against China and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said the U.S. must “hit the brakes” or face “conflict and confrontation.” The remarks came as THIS body gave Xi Jinping a remarkable third term as President of China.

A. National People’s Congress
B. Politburo of the Communist Party of China
C. 20th Party Congress of the CCP
D. Assembly of the People of China

Correct Response: A. National People’s Congress
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/13/china/china-xi-jinpong-first-speech-third-term-intl-hnk/index.html

3. Half a million Israelis protested THIS move by the government. It was the 10th week of demonstrations against the Netanyahu regime’s move.

A. Introduction of conscription
B. Confiscation of Israeli Arabs’ property
C. Overhaul and erode judicial authority
D. Expand Abraham accord relationships

Correct Response: C. Overhaul and erode judicial authority
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/12/middleeast/israel-protests-benjamin-netanyahu-intl/index.html

4. Petr Pavel, a former general in the NATO command structure, was inaugurated President of THIS country. Pavel will visit Slovakia, customarily the first visit since the two countries separated in 1992, and then NATO capitals showing his commitment to alignment with the West.

A. Poland
B. Slovenia
C. Czech Republic
D. Hungary

Correct Response: C. Czech Republic
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/former-nato-general-petr-pavel-takes-oath-become-czech-president-2023-03-09/

5. Following years of disruptions in diplomatic connections THESE two nations agreed to restore relations.

A. Iran and Iraq
B. Iran and Saudi Arabia
C. Syria and Lebanon
D. Lebanon and Israel

Correct Response: B. Iran and Saudi Arabia
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64906996

6. Suella Braverman defended THIS government’s new Illegal Migration Bill, which effectively prevents asylum seekers from trying to cross the English Channel amid criticism from human rights campaigners and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

A. Ireland
B. Britain
C. France
D. Belgium

Correct Response: B. Britain
https://www.politico.eu/article/suella-braverman-insists-uk-small-boats-bill-lawful-amid-criticism-illegal-migration-bill-united-nations-refugee-agency-european-convention-human-rights-tory/

7. North Korea reportedly fired two cruise missiles from a submarine simulating an attack on South Korean and American forces as the two allies conducted the largest military exercises in five years. Meanwhile THIS North Korean leader directed his military to prepare to respond to the “frantic war preparation moves” of their enemies.

A. Yoon Suk Yeol
B. Kim Jong Un
C. Kim Il-Sung
D. Xi Jinping

Correct Response: B. Kim Jong Un
https://www.yahoo.com/news/north-korea-test-fires-two-225921858.html

8. THIS European president announced the preparation of a bill to enshrine the right to abortion in their country’s constitution, honoring the life and legacy of Gisèle Halimi, who worked to legalize abortion.

A. Emmanuel Macron
B. Pedro Sánchez
C. Andrés Manuel López
D. Alexander Lukashenko

Correct Response: A. Emmanuel Macron
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/world/europe/abortion-france-macron.htm

9. The British arm of failed Silicon Valley Bank was rescued by THIS UK financial giant, avoiding insolvency and protecting thousands of tech startups and investors.

A. BNP Paribas
B. HSBC
C. Citibank
D. Chase

Correct Response: B. HSBC
https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2023/mar/13/silicon-valley-bank-uk-tech-sector-rescue-help-jeremy-hunt-rishi-sunak-business-live

10. The Lahore High Court conditionally allowed the holding of the Aurat (“women” in Urdu) March in connection to International Women’s Day to bring attention to women’s rights in the northeastern part of THIS country in South Asia.

A. Tajikistan
B. India
C. Afghanistan
D. Pakistan

Correct Response: D. Pakistan
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/lahore-high-court-lhc-conditionally-allows-1655166.html

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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.