“What in the World? Weekly Quiz" | October 23, 2023

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Thanks to Lucy Love Haman of Belmont University and Silas McClung of Sewanee for being our master quiz question writers this week.

We invite you to become members of the TNWAC no matter where you live. We welcome our friends from around the country and around the world to be part of our work to inform and inspire our communities to know the world. Visit TNWAC.org/join and TNWAC.org/donate.

Last Week’s Quiz Winners

Dondre Hess, Knoxville, TN
Clyde Ernst, Franklin, TN
Denis Garman, Winter Garden FL
Francisco Campbell, Washington, DC
Don Moore, Mount Juliet, TN
Charles Bowers, Nashville, TN
Tim Douglas, Nashville, TN
Steve Freidberg, Boston, MA
Basil G. Smith, Jacksonville, FL
Mary Ellen Hamed, Louisville, KY
Deskan Gandarva, Rocky River
Barbara Cleland-Salko, Weston, CT
Bernie Drake, Peoria, IL
John Bull, Nashville, TN
Jim Shepherd, Nashville, TN
Barbara Gubbin, Jacksonville, FL
Paul Love, Marlboro, VT
Rob Thames, St Paul, MN
Mike Peek, Nashville, TN
Gretchen, Munich
Andy Indorf, Saco, ME
Thomas Day, Peoria, IL
Tim Stewart, Nashville, TN
Jose Samson, Plainfield, NH
Connie Tomczyk, Peoria, IL
Roger French, Washington, IL

Are you on the list of last week winners? If you become a member of TNWAC you could be the end of the month prize winner.

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

Of the scores of weekly winners eligible for the end of the month prize, only five candidates are TNWAC members, eligible for the prize. Join today to be eligible for next month’s prize.

OCTOBER QUIZ PRIZE

Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare

Christian Brose

From a former senior advisor to Senator John McCain comes an urgent wake-up call about how new technologies are threatening America’s military might.

For generations of Americans, our country has been the world’s dominant military power. How the US military fights, and the systems and weapons that it fights with, have been uncontested. That old reality, however, is rapidly deteriorating. America’s traditional sources of power are eroding amid the emergence of new technologies and the growing military threat posed by rivals such as China. America is at grave risk of losing a future war.

As Christian Brose reveals in this urgent wake-up call, the future will be defined by artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and other emerging technologies that are revolutionizing global industries and are now poised to overturn the model of American defense. This fascinating, if disturbing, book confronts the existential risks on the horizon, charting a way for America’s military to adapt and succeed with new thinking as well as new technology. America must build a battle network of systems that enables people to rapidly understand threats, make decisions, and take military actions, the process known as “the kill chain.” Examining threats from China, Russia, and elsewhere, The Kill Chain offers hope and, ultimately, insights on how America can apply advanced technologies to prevent war, deter aggression, and maintain peace.

LAST WEEK’S QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What in the World? Quiz – Week of Oct 23-29, 2023

1. The risk of the Israel-Hamas war widening into a regional conflict increased as THIS Iran-backed group in Lebanon launched aerial attacks that were met with Israeli bombing strikes. The group said they would not be deterred from supporting Hamas by “behind-the-scenes calls with us by great powers.”

A. ISIS
B. Islamic Jihad
C. Hezbollah
D. PLO

Correct Response: C. Hezbollah
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/10/13/israel-faces-the-danger-of-fighting-on-a-second-front

2. The United States sent aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to maritime interdiction exercises with Japan and South Korea as Washington accused North Korea of shipping war materials to aid THIS conflict. North Korea usually responds to such maneuvers with missile tests.

A. Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israel
B. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
C. Iran’s buildup in the Persian Gulf
D. Azerbaijan’s operations in Nagorno-Karabakh

Correct Response: B. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-10/us-sends-carrier-group-to-south-korea-for-interdiction-drills

3. In preparation for military operations against Hamas, the Israeli Defense Force has taken THIS step.

A. Agreed to embed Human Rights Watch monitors in ground units
B. Ordered over one million Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza
C. Accepted U.S. special forces troops in anticipated invasion units
D. Distributed gas masks to communities near Gaza in the event of chemical weapon attacks by Hamas

Correct Response: B. Ordered over one million Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-c8b4fc20e4fd2ef381d5edb7e9e8308c

4. The British Embassy in Yangon blamed THIS government for an artillery attack on a refugee camp near the border with China that killed 29 refugees. The government has been battling resistance groups and armed ethnic militias since it took power in a 2021 coup.

A. Bangladesh
B. Bhutan
C. Myanmar
D. Afghanistan

Correct Response: C. Myanmar
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/many-killed-artillery-strike-northern-myanmar-media-local-sources-2023-10-10/

5. An historic deal between Israel and THIS leading Arab state was almost done before Hamas’ deadly attack against Israel. The negotiations are now reported to be on hold as concerns over the fate of Palestinians have been raised.

A. Egypt
B. Saudi Arabia
C. Kuwait
D. Jordan

Correct Response: B. Saudi Arabia
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-13/ty-article/.premium/saudi-arabia-freezes-normalization-talks-with-israel-amid-ongoing-war-with-hamas/0000018b-2a0b-d1bc-a58b-6baf83c20000

6. China and THIS neighbor agreed to avoid hostilities along their 2,167-mile disputed common border. Scores of troops from both of these nuclear-armed states were killed in a June 2020 skirmish and tensions between the countries remains strained over the dispute.

A. Mongolia
B. Afghanistan
C. India
D. Kazakhstan

Correct Response: C. India
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-12/china-and-india-agree-to-maintain-peace-along-disputed-border

7. Pakistan has threatened to deport over one million citizens of THIS country who do not have legal status. Over 3.7 million of these citizens are in Pakistan and many fear returning home would lead to harassment, assault, or arbitrary detention.

A. Myanmar
B. Iran
C. India
D. Afghanistan

Correct Response: D. Afghanistan
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/pakistan-drop-threat-deport-afghans

8. In the wake of the attack by Hamas, a client of Tehran, the United States and THIS country agreed to freeze release $6 billion in previously sanctioned Iranian funds that were set to be released after a prisoner swap deal.

A. Germany
B. India
C. Qatar
D. Turkey

Correct Response: C. Qatar
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/us-qatar-agree-not-release-iran-6-billion-prisoner-swap-rcna120135

9. Voters said No on a ballot in THIS country to approve recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution and creation of a body called the “Voice” to advise the government on their issues

A. Chile
B. South Africa
C. Australia
D. Canada

Correct Response: C. Australia
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-67085710

10. Russia sought a new three-year term, after being suspended in April, to THIS United Nations body, but despite getting 83 of 193 votes in favor, lost to Bulgaria and Albania for the Eastern Europe seats. Albania’s Ambassador said it was important to not “take an arsonist for a firefighter.”

A. World Food Program
B. Human Rights Council
C. World Health Organization
D. UN Security Council

Correct Response: B. Human Rights Council
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67071697

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.