1. The World Trade Organization 

1. When was this organization founded? 

   January 1, 1995

2. Where is its headquarters?

   Geneva, Switzerland

3. What is the goal of the organization? (Do NOT copy/paste the mission statement- summarize in your own words!)

   The goal of the WTO is to help assist trade between most of the world's trading nations. With WTO agreements, the organization aims to ensure the trouble-free flow of world trade. It acts as a forum for trade negotiations and disputes.

4. Is the United States involved in this organization? If so, how? If not, why not?

   The US is a part of the WTO. The US is one of the original members of the World Trade Organization. The WTO allows the US to protect foreign trade interests and connect the US to foreign markets. This protects Jobs in our country and supports our economic growth. The US sends members of the Office of the US Trade Representative to participate in the World Trade Organization Conference in Geneva.

5. Are there any controversies surrounding this organization? If so, summarize them. 

   A main controversy is fueled by the creation of the organization. Speculation exists involving the extent to which the US controls the WTO; some people think, despite all member countries agreeing on rules, that the US imposes rules on other, smaller, weaker member countries, for our own economic interests, at the dispense of smaller nations.

1. NAFTA

1. When was this trade agreement signed?

   The North American Free Trade Agreement was signed in 1992.

2. What countries are involved in this trade agreement?

   Canada, the United States and Mexico signed the agreement.

3. Discuss one controversy about this trade agreement.

   NAFTA used labor from large numbers of young women in harsh and dangerous working conditions, receiving low wages in Mexican factories. This sparked complaint from labor unions. Thousands of US jobs were being taken to mexico where wages were lower, benefits were weaker and safety standards was less present.

Nestlé, a swiss-based, multinational food company, has had government disapproval in their purchasing of child-labor-dependent cocoa producers who produce cocoa in protected lands. The US district court for the central district of CA actually determined that corporations cannot be held liable for violations of international law they didn't commit. Former Child slaves from Mali had filed suit against Nestlé, accusing them of knowingly participating in forced labor. The US Supreme court however, dismissed the lawsuit due to its occurrence on the Ivory Coast; the american law they argued with, the Alien Tort Statue, could not be applied outside of it's own territory.

1. Greenpeace 

1. What is the focus of this organization? (What are they trying to accomplish?)

   The focus of Greenpeace is to prevent deforestation, desertification, global warming, whaling, over fishing, and other harmful environmental acts. They're famous for using direct actions, such as physically confronting whaling boats mid-trip.

2. Research and summarize a recent protest they staged. What were they protesting? Where? How did they protest? What was the result?

   One recent protest is the protest of the fishing for sandeels in the UK's portion of the North Sea. GreenPeace protesters protested for the ban of fishing sandeel in England and Scotland; the species is important to animals such as haddock, harbor porpoise and the main focus: Puffins. By obtaining 140,000 signers, GreenPeace's petition was successful in banning sand eel fishing in The UK.

1. Choose the FIVE rights that you think are the most important (this can be the ones that are important to you personally, or the ones you think have the biggest impact on humanity)

   I think a simple one, everyone has the right to a nationality, is incredibly important(15). Humans are animals of groups, feeling belonging to something, nationality or not, is essential to life for all people. Article one is probably the most important; preventing racial hierarchies from reforming is necessary to not repeat old mistakes, such as slavery and other forms of coerced labor. Article 4 is another one that helps prevent the return of past mistakes; no one should be enslaved based on any sort of group, nationality etc. that they associate with. Article 5 is essential to a humane and safe society. When people become scared of government power, they start rebellions and overthrow campaigns. Article 9 is important for similar reasons, as to what would make people scared of a governing body. People shouldn't have to live in fear of arrest, exile or torture.

2. Are there any rights on this list that you think should not be guaranteed human rights? If so, why not? Are there any rights that you think SHOULD be on the list, but aren’t? 

   I think all of the rights are suitable, but one problem with the UN declaration of rights is the lack of structure for carrying out the protection of these rights. How can rights like these be enforced in 193 member states globally? I have no solution to this problem, but it makes the declaration seem to have no protection.

3. Find a right on the list that is not guaranteed by the US government. Why do you think this right is not protected by the US government?

   I believe the right that Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution, is not guaranteed by the US. This is because the US doesn't want criminals to flee persecution by the US in another country that will protect them.

1. Advent of locally developed social media platforms (Weibo in China)

1. What happened during this event?/What led these companies to be created? Give some context around the event or creation of a company.

   Over 1,000 people rioted in Urumqi, China in 2009 due to tension between Han ethnics and Uighur ethnics. These growing tensions were blamed on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, ultimately getting both sites banned in China. Weibo was then created to replace both heavily-used platforms. Streaming was possible on the site, with heavy restrictions and tracking of sensitive content that the government didn't want in their public.

2. What type of response is this to globalization? (Think SPICE themes) 

   This was a political response. Social media created dependency of citizens in China on outside, foreign news sources, streaming sites and goods. The Chinese government observed this and put a stop to it with their governmental restriction of what people were allowed to view, by their standards of sensitive.

3. How is this an anti-globalization response? 

   By allowing social media, Chinese government would have been endorsing their citizens dependence on foreign media, goods and news. Rather than allowing for such dependence on non-Chinese states, China just created their own, heavily restricted platform for their citizens. This was an act of independence-manifesting for China; nationalizing their social media rather than globalizing it.

4. What happened as a result of this response?

   Weibo's existence continues to this day, recording 340 million active users monthly. By bringing celebrities to the site, the large censorship was largely non-preventative in people using the app. It shows the effect of a strict government; the people don't resist against small changes that affect daily life.

1. The League of Nations 

1. When was this organization founded? 

   The LON was founded in 1920, after WWI.

2. Where is its headquarters?

   Geneva, switzerland.

3. What is the goal of the organization? (Do NOT copy/paste the mission statement- summarize in your own words!)

   The purpose of the LON was to create lines of communication and diplomacy to prevent another world war; someone needed to resolve international problems.

4. Is/was the United States involved in this organization? If so, how? If not, why not?

   The US was not involved in the League of Nations. Americans believed that the league would exhaust and deplete US money and resources, leaving them with hindered defensive ability. Americans didn't want to grow their dependence on other countries.

5. Are there any controversies surrounding this organization? If so, summarize them. 

   The biggest problem with the league was the refusal of the US to join, it was to weak to prevent another world war. However, other problems existed. Voting structures within the League made ratifying resolutions/compromises difficult. Also, the league clearly failed in it's main purpose, preventing another world war; the league couldn't prevent conflicts that led to the war.

1. The Red Cross 

1. When was this organization founded?

   May 21, 1881 - Washington D.C

2. Where is its headquarters?

   The Red Cross Headquarters is located in Washington D.C.

3. What is/are its main goal(s)? 

   The main goals of The Red Cross are to organize and provide medical relief in international disasters, provide refugees with assistance outside of areas of conflict, and promote programs to help the world prepare for natural disasters.

4. Describe one current/recent issue that this organization has addressed, and how it address(ed) it 

   Red cross recently rallied 30,000 supporters to donate to provide shelter, food, emotional support, financial assistance and other relief items for their 10th annual American Red Cross Giving Day. This took place on March 27th this year. This support is critical to aiding disasters big and small where help can't wait. Red cross day is tradition that was created over 80 years ago; each president has followed the tradition since FDR.