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Political tribalism is when one is a part of a group with certain beliefs, where this person is more devoted to their group and their opinions more than anything else. This leads to people spreading information which may not be true, but it is what they believe to be true due to their extreme devotion to a certain viewpoint. It also refers to the fact that people who are political tribalists will go at any length to defend their group’s leader, or the main spreader of their beliefs (Chong).

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Xue Lei is a research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies in China who discusses the significant challenges that the United Nations has been facing due to recent controversies and events. Lei acknowledges that even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN was facing hardships regarding its ability to adequately contribute to helping the nations. Geopolitical strategic competition, political and social division, and the reversal of global development are all current problems that the UN is facing with these newly selfish countries. Lei believes that this competition between nations goes against the principles of the United Nations, which was formed in order to help maintain international peace, security, and stability, as well as provide aid to countries during times of hardship. This has been increasingly challenging in recent times with a decreasing budget and increasing workload, limiting their role in maintaining relationships between nations.

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Geopolitical strategic competition is the pursuit of power and influence between different countries or groups in order to achieve their political, economic, and military objectives. It involves the use of various tactics and tools, such as diplomacy, military force, economic sanctions, and propaganda, to advance one’s national interests and jeopardize the ambitions of others.

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The subtopics that have been created as a result of Lei’s viewpoints include his three changes to multilateralism. First, there is a section on the Padlet about Political Tribalism, which discusses political polarization, and the beginning of the idea of political division. Essentially, political tribalism is the reason for the extreme political division that exists in the US, and other countries. It is when one group of people believes their ideologies to be factual, and within this belief, tries to convince others of it too. It then goes into the discussion of how the media has impacted political tribalism, and how it is harming the society and politics of the United States. Below the topic of Political Tribalism, comes Geopolitical Strategic Competition, which highlights the ambitions and goals of multiple countries, and the desire to become powerful and successful amongst other countries. It delves into the conflicts between countries and their steps to reaching power, and their desire to trump other countries’ success. This issue goes against the policies of the United Nations, which is why it is considered an issue to scholar Xue Lei. Lastly, there is a section under Geopolitics, which mentions the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and the fact that many countries are more focused on themselves, instead of teaming together to fight conflict and thrive.

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Lev: COVID-19's IMPACT ON MULTILATERALISM

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Lev: COVID-19's IMPACT ON MULTILATERALISM

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Covid 19 has made each nation focus on themselves rather than working together. When trying to survive, these nations want to only focus on building up their own economy, rather than focusing on relations with other nations. Since developing nations in particular took a harder hit from the pandemic, their economies are in shambles and are more than ever focusing on themselves. Also, the traditional major industries in developing countries has almost fully collapsed, making it very difficult for there to be cohesion between other nations.

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Addie: The First Acknowledgement of Political Tribalism (1780):

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Addie: The First Acknowledgement of Political Tribalism (1780):

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The founders of the Constitution in 1780 recognized the greatest threat to politics. They noticed that the most dangerous way to go about politics was a divide of two different groups with opposing political views, and treating this opposition as a fight or a conflict (Chua and Rubenfeld 2018).

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Chloe: The Formation of the United Nations (1945)

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Chloe: The Formation of the United Nations (1945)

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The United Nations was founded in the aftermath of the World War II devastation and it had its 75th anniversary in 2020. One main goal of the United Nations is to maintain international peace, security, and stability, but it is currently facing significant challenges.

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Addie: How fear Manipulates Itself into Political tribalism (2019):

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Addie: How fear Manipulates Itself into Political tribalism (2019):

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When leaders or those who believe in a certain side of politics feel feared by their opposition, they begin to use extreme polarization and tribalism. When one person in a political group feels fear, their whole group begins to feel fear, spiraling into an unending cycle of fear and polarization (Javanbakht 2019).

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Lev: Empty Shelves Demonstrate How Everyone Is Trying To Manage The Pandemic Which Prohibits Cohesion (2020)

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Lev: Empty Shelves Demonstrate How Everyone Is Trying To Manage The Pandemic Which Prohibits Cohesion (2020)

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In a supermarket in 2020, there are no items on the shelf, which demonstrates the economic ruin that the pandemic left the world. Although the Covid Pandemic is almost over, it’s economic impacts will still remain, as the world will try to return to a state that it was at before Covid. These economic impacts will cause each nation to focus on stabalizing their own economies, which will distract countries from interacting with each other.

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken speaks on the UN political council debate on multilateralism and the United States shifted course of action due to covid-19. The agenda of the United Nations was disrupted in 2020 due to Covid-19. Geopolitical tensions were rising, meaning that financial instability is increasing and there is a newly established uncertainty and volatility in financial markets.

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Addie: The Real Definition of Political Tribalism (2020):

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Addie: The Real Definition of Political Tribalism (2020):

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As time progresses in politics, some believe that Political Tribalism has stretched beyond just polarization, as people represent their political beliefs as though it is the truth. This viewpoint is harmful to citizens, as it continues to stretch and develop into extreme divide and political tribalism. People believe that their leaders’ opinions are the end all be all of the conflicts and issues in today’s society (Finkel and Wang 2020).

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Lev: Developing Nations Struggling To Survive Due To Covid (2020)

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Lev: Developing Nations Struggling To Survive Due To Covid (2020)

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The Covid 19 Pandemic in 2020 has spread to developing nations, who do not have the resources to combat its devastating resources. These nations have to protect their own economy and focus on themselves, rather than interacting with other countries.

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Addie: The Real Way to Combat Political Tribalism Appearing in Social Media (2021):

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Addie: The Real Way to Combat Political Tribalism Appearing in Social Media (2021):

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The media and the access that people have to social media has caused people to use their platforms to spread misinformation, along with band together to unite with a common belief and goal. When conversations between opposing parties arise, the idea of tribalism is introduced. The main way to combat this, is to have the government change the way that elections occur, as you do not have to be a part of a certain party to vote, which is pushing the idea of polarization and division (Brolin 2021).

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Chloe: Geopolitical Strategic Competition (2021)

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Chloe: Geopolitical Strategic Competition (2021)

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The deepening rivalry between the United States and other countries due to differing political views and conflicting interests has created an era of immense strategic competition. The different views on political approaches to multilateralism have caused a divide in the United States.

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Lev: Public Companies Fail To Function Because of Covid (2021)

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Lev: Public Companies Fail To Function Because of Covid (2021)

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In 2021, the company Hertz files for bankruptcy due to the economic impact that the Covid pandemic has caused. This is one example of many, in which companies have gone out of business due to the pandemic. This inhibits multilateralism because companies that would interact with other countries have gone out of business.

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All three issues go hand in hand due to their mention of division, self-determination, and the need for countries and people to prove their power and their beliefs to be better than others. With the development and innovations of multiple countries, there have been setbacks as well, leading countries to become more selfish, ultimately going against the ideals of the United Nations. Overall, Xue Lei strives for a future with more collaboration and cohesion, and wants countries and people to unite, even in times of strife and struggle.

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Lev: How Covid Negatively Impacted The Economy (2021)

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Lev: How Covid Negatively Impacted The Economy (2021)

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During the Covid Pandemic in Augest of 2021, women wearing face masks walk by a billboard that is displaying China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) index, and showing that it is decreasing. Covid 19 outbreaks have caused isolation for nations, which disrupts production and trade with other countries.

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Chloe: Four Contending US Approaches to Multilateralism (2023)

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Chloe: Four Contending US Approaches to Multilateralism (2023)

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Biden discusses his overturning of Trump's “America First” policy but the debate over alternative approaches to multilateralism remains. Washington currently has four proposed approaches to multilateralism: a charter, a club, a concert, or a coalition model. The goal now is choosing which approach is the most beneficial to address the situation.