Global Threats: Conflicts, Security & Terrorism

Global Threats & Opportunities: Conflicts, Security & Terrorism

Done by: Belle, rei yin, Cassandra, Jun haoCONFLICT

A clash of interests or ideas.

Causes of conflict: Competing claims over resources South China Sea Dispute Sino-India Border Dispute Contorted religious motivations Boko Haram Differing national interest South China Sea DisputeSECURITYThe defence of a nation/institution from dangers and threats.

Causes of Security to be required: Rising armament of other countries Nuclear research with possibility of mass destruction from bombsTERRORISMThe unauthorizedand immoral useofviolenceandintimidationin thepursuitofpoliticalaims.

Causes of terrorism: Misinterpretation of religious texts Bali bombing Self radicalisation Lone Wolf phenomenon

Types of terrorism: Religious terrorism Al-QaedaState terrorism French Revolution South China Sea DisputeWhat is it about? Territorial Disputes in the South China SeaInvolves both land and sea territories Different countries have differing claims of sovereigntyInvolves several countries, such as: Malaysia China, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, TaiwanDisputes trace back to centuries ago and is still currently unresolved

Recent developments (rising tension) Increased presence of China in the disputed seas, such as increasing the frequency of surveillance patrol boats in the regionIn 2013, accusations of Chinese vessels firing at Vietnamese fishing boats arose and a homicide case of Philippines Coast Guards who had shot a Taiwanese boat, killing a fisherman on board were 2 examples of the many clashes in the seaChinas assertion of dominance by requiring foreign crews to obtain permit to work in the area of the South China Sea in January 2014 drawing criticisms and raising questions with regards to the fishing industries of other claimant states

Recent developments (rising tension) In 2014, two Philippines ships were denied, by China, access to the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, which were within Philippines 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone In 2014, the major incident of Vietnamese naval ships colliding with Chinese vessels occurred. China vessels were setting up an oil rig while the Vietnamese naval ships were trying to prevent them. This area of the South China Sea is claimed by both Vietnam and China. Accusations were exchanged and eventually video evidence revealed China to be the perpetrators.

Examples of Construction Work in/on the Sea Philippines airstrips and military base on the Thitu IslandTaiwan airport and meteorogolical station on Taiping Island/Itu Aba IslandsVietnam many buildings and structures along the Spratly Islands, and hydrocarbon explorationMalaysia infrastructure building on the Swallow Reef, and hydrocarbon explorationChina transformed Fiery Cross and neighbouring reefs into an artificial island to be utilised as military headquarters and to increase military presence in the region for security and navigation purposes in the middle of a shipping route

Motivations Natural resources Rich in oil and natural gas deep in the groundFishes Fishing is conducive here Sovereignty Countries face a breach of their own sovereignty as their land and seas are being claimed and occupied by China, Vietnam or other countries depending on their individual conditionsRegional Hegemony of China (although official denied), they have taken control of the trading routes Peace and Stability Hence ASEAN has been engaging this matter diplomatically and with constant reiterations for peaceful settlement, as well as the avoiding of this topic for a long time

Threats/Implications: Large-scale fishing Ecological diversity in danger Construction activities Pollution and irreversible damage to the natural landscape Military Conflicts Lives, multilateral cooperation and peace are at stake China asserting an even larger role of dominance in the Asia region if this continues to escalate into stronger and forceful claims

Why is so significant ?USA Losing dominance in Asia and threat of China as a global superpower that might escalate to a head-on conflict with China, possibly a war as many political science analysts predict United Nations Conventions on the Laws of the Sea(UNCLOS) Losing credibility and their authority is slipping with the Chinas violations of it going largely unpunished Other claimants of the different parts of the South China Sea Inability to confront Chinas dominance, hence losing to unfair and unreasonable claims of China (for those who are only claiming areas in their respective 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone

Why is so significant for ASEAN? As a region of small and vulnerable nations, ASEAN works on the principles of consensus and cooperation.Hence all final decisions (official term: communiqus) reflect unity and a singular voice, and can only be passed by a unanimous decision of every member nations In 2012, for the first time since its inception in 1967, ASEAN has failed to reach a consensus on a communiqus with regards to the South China Sea disputes due to the various members having their own agendas and claims in the regionsThe core principle of success for ASEAN, its unity and emphasis on complete consensus for regional cooperation, has been shaken and doubts regarding ASEAN's future arose.

Opportunities Opportunity for a collective ASEAN and global voice to put this conflict of centuries to an end once and for all Opportunity for international and regional organisations to show zero tolerance of any acts of violence through harsh collective actions in order to prevent further such cases

Essay Question: Examine the claim that the world is too dependent on oil. (2005)T: Importance of oil I: Is the world too dependent on oil? What roles do oil play in the world? C: Unspecified, preferably current and recent examples should be usedK: Too dependent Can cause devastation to occur should something drastic/terrible happen to it(i.e. economy crashing); everyone/every countries require it; people will pay a huge price or do whatever it takes to acquire itOil Natural resource; limited quantity; currently, required for most industries and businesses, a driver of the global economy; rising alternatives that are cleaner than itEssay Question: Examine the claim that the world is too dependent on oil. (2005)-Importance highlighted by the fact that countries have resorted to unscrupulous, extreme and aggressive means to obtain oil-Implicit over reliance on oil through the benefits countries recognise it bring in terms of income, self sufficiency and regional or global supremacy -2014, South China Sea dispute came into global attention because of Vietnam and Chinas contest of oil, and not because of the escalation of tension in the region leading to increase Chinese surveillance patrols and even homicides resulting in the death of a Taiwanese fisherman killed by Philippines Coast Guards-China had begun drilling for oil in territories claimed by Vietnam and it led to collisions and violence -Unlike the other significant events that have happened here, the one that received the greatest international attention is this incident, and it reached the United Nations to become a topic of discussion-Despite this, China still continued its actions because the South China Sea has been estimated to have around six times of Chinas current oil reserves, at seven billion barrels. -Furthermore, Chinas imposition of its dominance in this area has been strongly linked to the fact that the South China Sea sits in an important oil barrel shipping route where an estimate of 14 million barrels of crude oil passes through daily amounting to USD$5.3 trillion of trade anually.-Control of this region would allow China to influence the global trade patterns of oil, and has hence been widely discussed and paid attention by the entire international community.-The overdependence of oil can be concluded here on two fronts, with the first being Chinas extreme methods to obtain oil despite possible repercussions, and the second being the fact that despite deaths that have occurred because of this dispute, the international community feels the need to discuss this extensively and to resolve this issue only when the oil supply and trade of the world has come under threat.

Terrorism- Background information on Boko Haram Boko Haram ("Western education is forbidden"), officially called Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'Awati Wal-Jihad "Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad") is based in northeast Nigeria, also active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. The group is led by Abubakar Shekau.Estimates of the group's membership varies between 7,000 and 10,000. The group initially had links to al-Qae, but in 2014 it expressed support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant before pledging formal allegiance to dait in March 2015Boko Haram killed more than 5,000 civilians between July 2009 and June 2014, including at least 2,000 in the first half of 2014, in attacks occurring mainly in north-east, north-central and central Nigeria. Corruption in the security services and human rights abuses committed by them have hampered efforts to counter the unrest. Since 2009 Boko Haram have abducted more than 500 men, women and children, including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April 2014. 650,000 people had fled the conflict zone by August 2014, an increase of 200,000 since May; by the end of the year 1.5 million had fled.

Kidnappings in Chibok 2014Latest UpdatesIn February this year, 21 of the girls managed to escape. These girls have been offered scholarships at the American University of Nigeria, in Yola, the capital of neighbouring Adamawa state. March 6:Workbeginsto rebuild the girls school in Chibok, which has been closed since they were abducted.March 19:Nigerias army chief Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimahadmitsthere is no news for now about the girls fate, despite military successes in recapturing towns held by Boko Haram.

Motivations behind the kidnappingThe leader, Abubakar Shekau, has already promised to sell the Chibok schoolgirls into slavery. Allah instructed me to sell them: they are his properties, he declared in a Youtube video released shortly after the girls were swept away. I will sell them in the market by Allah.Shekau fills the internet with his ravings, many of which boast about how Boko Haram enslaves women. He believes women are the property of Allah and he is waging his campaign on behalf of Allah. Therefore when women fall into his hands, they become his property to dispose of as he thinks Allah would wish. The Chibok girls had offended Allah by (a) being Christian and (b) going to school. Therefore Allah would wish them to be enslaved. extremism of religion, how intense it has influenced the movement. This tortuous rationale for reintroducing slavery is also used by ISIL in the Middle East.

Essay Question: To what extent is religion a force for good?

Point: Religion, despite the fact that it is constantly appearing on our headlines today, is not always an evil force.TS: When people interpret religious texts in a biased manner, religion can be used as a tool for manipulation and harm. TS2: It is the vested interest of individuals not religion itself is what causes harm to others. Example: Today, news such as the Boko Haram kidnappings in Chibok and the ISIL executions are widespread. What these influenced terrorists are doing is undeniably inhumane and immoral. For example, in the Chibok incident Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from a local school and forced these girls into marriages, sex slaves and human shields. Till date, the girls have not been found, and many families who have been waiting anxiously have given up and left the region because of the security issues. It has caused the families and region great grief and sorrow, it has raised so much attention globally that even the First Lady of the United States of America has joined in the #bringbackourgirls movement. Thus, we see that religion has indeed brought about chaos and grief in todays world.Elaboration: However I feel that that we are too focused on the acts itself that we forget to see the cause. These terrorist groups were formed because of their misunderstanding of the religious texts.Boko Haram was founded as aSunniIslamic fundamentalist sect advocating a strict form ofsharia lawand developed into aSalafist-jihadigroup in 2009, influenced by theWahhabi movement.This shows that they have been influenced and have misinterpreted their religious texts and chose to advocate certain sections of their religion. However, this is not the intended outcome of Islam. Link: Therefore, we see that because of our own interpretation of the religion, we go about committing acts that terrorize and harm. It is not because of the religion itself that equates to an evil force, it in fact is intended for the good of people.

Economic Security 1MDB 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is a strategic development company, wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, particularly by the finance ministry. It was established to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development for the country by forging global partnerships and promoting FDI.It was reported that 1MDB has accumulated debts totaling RM42 billion, causing the bonds issued by the fund to be downgraded to junk statusLeaked email correspondences had also stated that Penang-based financier Jho Low, who has ties with Najib's stepson was able to siphoned US$700 million from a joint venture deal between 1MDB and PetroSaudi International. An email revealed that Jho Low had the loan approval from Prime Minister Najib for US$1 billion without getting any approval from Bank NegaraMalaysias longest serving prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said that debts accumulated by the controversial fund were not small amounts, adding that if Najib was not stopped, this would continue and more money would be lost.Dr Mahathir Mohamad has asked Prime Minister Najib to resign who has stayed silent on the whole matter

Implications of 1MDB being in debt Could possibly bankrupt the Malaysian government The RM36 billion direct and indirect contingent liabilities for the government cast a deep and dark shadow over any possible improvements in our budget deficit The financial distress in 1MDB is so serious that the government has been forced to renege its promises to the market of fair and open tenders for Independent Power Producer (IPP) contracts to ensure the lowest cost of electricity supply to Tenaga Nasional Bhd. The money for 1MDB is not from the countrys surplus. It is a debt. Billions of ringgit in debt that is added to the already-high national debt.Citizens might lose confidence in their government. (( Malaysians can tighten anti-corruption laws.)) Affect SINGAPORE (( Close trading partner -> economic ties ))

The key criterion for good government is how well the economy is managed. Is this a fair assessment?

It is common to judge a government based on its ability to manage the economy However, this seems to elude the sole purpose of what a government is really meant for, which is to provide and care for the social welfare of the people. One example of the government placing too much importance on the rate of economic progress rather than providing enough support to its citizens would be the establishment of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Strategic development company, wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, particularly by the finance ministry It was created to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development for the country by forging global partnerships and promoting FDI But later on, it was found out that it had accumulated debts totaling RM42 billion, causing the bonds issued by the fund to be downgraded to junk status Furthermore, the ugly truth was found out when a Penang-based financier Jho Low, who has ties with Najib's stepson was able to siphoned US$700 million from a joint venture deal between 1MDB and PetroSaudi International It was revealed in an email that he had the loan approval from Prime Minister Najib for US$1 billion without getting any approval from Bank Negara This could result in some serious repercussions in the future as it could possibly bankrupt the Malaysian government because the money for 1MDB is not from the countrys surplus but an additional debt that is added to the already-high national debt This could lead to the people losing faith and confidence in their government as even their prime minister is suspected to be corrupt This is disastrous for the Malaysian government as without the support from the people, a lot of problems could arise as the people begin to seek for a better alternative lifestyle than the government is providing them with Hence, one key criteria of good governance is indeed based on its ability to manage the economy well But, it is not the only criteria as only when others come into the equation, then the true meaning of good governance can be revealed.

It is common to judge a government based on its ability to manage the economy However, this seems to elude the sole purpose of what a government is really meant for, which is to provide and care for the social welfare of the people. One example of the government placing too much importance on the rate of economic progress rather than providing enough support to its citizens would be the establishment of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) Strategic development company, wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, particularly by the finance ministry It was created to drive strategic initiatives for long-term economic development for the country by forging global partnerships and promoting FDI But later on, it was found out that it had accumulated debts totaling RM42 billion, causing the bonds issued by the fund to be downgraded to junk status Furthermore, the ugly truth was found out when a Penang-based financier Jho Low, who has ties with Najib's stepson was able to siphoned US$700 million from a joint venture deal between 1MDB and PetroSaudi International It was revealed in an email that he had the loan approval from Prime Minister Najib for US$1 billion without getting any approval from Bank Negara This could result in some serious repercussions in the future as it could possibly bankrupt the Malaysian government because the money for 1MDB is not from the countrys surplus but an additional debt that is added to the already-high national debt This could lead to the people losing faith and confidence in their government as even their prime minister is suspected to be corrupt This is disastrous for the Malaysian government as without the support from the people, a lot of problems could arise as the people begin to seek for a better alternative lifestyle than the government is providing them with Hence, one key criteria of good governance is indeed based on its ability to manage the economy well But, it is not the only criteria as only when others come into the equation, then the true meaning of good governance can be revealed.Why managing an economy is important! (FOCUS)