Film Clips, Chapter 10
Politics in Developing States
Global Population Growth, Box by Box
Population growth occurs largely in the Third World, so it doesn’t really affect our lives in Canada, right? Not quite. Global health expert and professor Hans Rosling uses Ikea boxes to demonstrate the reality of population growth today. In particular, he compares growth in the developed and developing world, reflecting some of the points raised in this chapter on the differences in the world. Raising the standard of living in the developing world, Rosling argues, is the best way to slow down population numbers worldwide.
1989: Massacre in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square
News of the crackdown by the Chinese government against student protesters in 1989 shocked the world. Though reporters were limited in their ability to get information out, pictures and video of the violence, like this CBC report, showed the extent of the massacre in Tiananmen Square. Calling the crackdown a “victory,” the Chinese military struck against unarmed citizens caught in the melee. The Chinese government denied Western reports of the multitudes killed, instead reporting that “counter-revolutionaries” killed soldiers. Governments around the world condemned the actions, but continued to trade with China. “Tiananmen” came to be associated with totalitarian actions.
BBC Documentary: Mexico’s Drug War
The demand for drugs, mostly cocaine, in the United States, has put Mexico in the cross hairs. This BBC documentary (posted to BBC’s documentary youtube.com site) explores the massive effect drug cartel violence has had on Mexican society. The result? Kidnappings, murders, and what can only be described as a “war” between government and the drug gangs, who often disguise themselves as police. Is it just criminals killing criminals? Not entirely—citizens are caught in the cross fire, literally and figuratively. People are killed indiscriminately, and life is never considered safe in the areas of the country dominated by the cartels.
Is the Indian Economy Heading for a Doom?
In this commentary and analysis by NDTV, a news broadcaster in India, experts on the Indian economy debate the implications of a global downturn on the national economy. India had experienced economic growth due to regulatory reforms, greater trade, and high technology developments. Like other countries, though, India felt the effects of the 2008 crisis. Inflation, investment woes, and government deficits were blamed variously on government policy, corporations, and external countries.
Mali Conflict: One the French Have Gone. . .
In this 2013 France24.com news analysis, the prospects for Mali are debated. Has the conflict ended now that the jihadists in the north seemingly gave up the fight? France took the lead on combatting terrorism in Mali in 2013 after a coup d’état there in 2012. Canada lent military aid in the conflict. Once considered a stable democracy in the 1990s, Mali now was faced with civil war and international intervention. Commentators in this video suggest that the conflict is not over, and that peace in Mali will require much more than what France and its allies have provided.