Week 5: New Advancements and New Threats

Change, growth, determination, and aspiration… all important ingredients in the recipe for a new world order!

While President George H.W. Bush’s first-time reference to a new world order accurately predicted many positive developments, those references also had unintended consequences.

“What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea—a new world order, where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind: peace and security, freedom, and the rule of law. Such is a world worthy of our struggle, and worthy of our children’s future” (President G.H. Bush, 1991).

As you read last week, one such consequence was the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. From negative occurrences during the Cold War era came growth and positive results, as the Cold War ended and new European nations emerged and began to grow.

While the changes in Europe were occurring, African and Asian markets began to open up and technological advancements begin to appear within those nations. In addition, they also witnessed other long-awaited positive transformations, such as improved living conditions and an increase in the medical care available to the people of those nations.

Democracy began to move to the forefront as many of these emerging nations continued to work to achieve economic stability and as they welcomed economic competition. India and China began to compete with the United States by providing an inexpensive labor force, which led to an increase in consumerism. This increase went hand-in-hand with the demand for technology and scientific advancements.

This week you will analyze, in more detail, the top global advancements and threats in the last half of the 20th century.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

• Evaluate the top three global threats that affect people and assess how these threats have altered relationships among local communities as well as the nations of the world
• Analyze three important elements from the years 1945–2000 and their current effects
• Outline elements from the years 1945–2000 that will continue to have an effect on the next 20 years
• Identify countries that experienced great change and advancements during the late 20th century

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Ivanov, I. (2000). The Missile-Defense Mistake – Undermining Strategic Stability and the ABM Treaty. Foreign Affairs, 79(5), 15-20.

Gilbert, M. (2014). History of the twentieth century.

Read Chapters 11 and 12.

Moss, W. G. (2008). An age of progress? Clashing twentieth-century global forces. 

Read Chapter 5

Martinez, J. M. (2012). Terrorist attacks on American soil: From the civil war era to the present. 

Read Chapter 12

Final Project: Top 3 Elements

The Final Project that was mentioned in Week 1 is due by Day 7 of this week. Please be sure your project meets the specified criteria before submitting it.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review and base your decision for your Top 3 elements on the Learning Resources from Weeks 1–5. Use the notes that you took as you read materials and completed assignments in Weeks 1–5, specifically the Top 3 items that you earmarked as items that you would like to write about for the Final Project.

General Instructions for the Final Project:

Compose a 3- to 4-page essay in which you do the following:

• Analyze the three most important elements from the years between 1945–2000 and how they shape life in the 21st century.
• Choose elements from the following list:
  • Scientific advancements and innovations
  • Technological advancements and innovations
  • Medical advancements and innovations
  • Political policies (Global and/or national)
  • Political documents/doctrines
  • Global alliances
  • Global economy
  • Other?
• Outline how you believe these three elements will continue to have an effect (or if the effect might increase or decline) in the next 20 years and why.
• Support your assertions by making at least 2 references, in proper APA format, to your course readings.

Questions about this assignment? Post them in the Ask the Instructor area. That way, everyone in the class will see, and benefit from, the Instructor’s response.

By Day 7

Submit your Assignment. In order to receive full credit, all assignments are due on time. Should you encounter an unanticipated and uncontrollable life event that may prevent you from meeting an assignment deadline, contact the Instructor immediately to request an extension. Your Instructor’s contact information is in the Contact the Instructor area. For a full description of the late policy, please refer to the “Policies on Late Assignments” section of your Syllabus.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK5Proj+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Assignment Evaluation Criteria to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 5 Project link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK5Proj+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your evaluation criteria:
Assignment Evaluation Criteria

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 5 Project draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Project by Day 7

To submit your Project:
Week 5 Project

Week in Review

This week you analyzed in greater detail the top global threats and advancements in the last half of the 20th century and outlined elements that will continue to have an effect on the next 20 years. In the final week you will examine the events from 1945–2000 and assess the effects and consequences of globalization.

To go to the next week:
Week 6