Recitation 5

Which of these countries is NOT a permanent member of the UN Security Council?

• China
• Germany
• Russia
• France

Answer explanation

Permanent members of the UN Security Council belonged to the Allied Powers during WWII: The US, UK, Russia (USSR), France and China. Any one of them can veto a resolution. The Security Council's ten elected members, which serve two-year, nonconsecutive terms, are not afforded veto power.

The acronym "M.A.D." stands for

• Mutually Assured Destruction
• Mutually Assured Defence

• Military And Defence

• Massive Attack and Destruction

Answer explanation

Mutual assured destruction is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy which posits that a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by an attacker on a nuclear-armed defender with second-strike capabilities would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender.

ICBMs are:

• Nuclear powered submarines

• Conventional submarines

• Short range nuclear missiles

• Nuclear missiles capable of striking at long distances

Answer explanation

An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range greater than 5,500 kilometres, primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery.

The U2 was:

• A spy satellite launched by the Soviets in 1957

• An anti-missile defence system

• An American spy plane that was capable of flying great heights and distances.

• A rock band

Answer explanation

It is an American single-engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated from the 1950s by the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day and night, high-altitude (70,000 feet, 21,300 meters), all-weather intelligence gathering.

Which of the following is NOT a member of the G7?

• Canada

• Italy

• India

• Germany

Answer explanation

The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal grouping of seven of the world's advanced economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union.

What does the IAEA mean?

• International Atomic Energy Agency

• International Association of Energy Authorities

• International Agency of Environmental Affairs

• International Association of Environmental Authorities

Answer explanation

The International Atomic Energy Agency is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.

NATO and the Warsaw Pact were examples of or attempts at?

• Collective security

• Trading blocks

• Currency zones

• Friendship alliances

Answer explanation

The Warsaw Pact embodied what was referred to as the Eastern bloc, while NATO and its member countries represented the Western bloc. NATO and the Warsaw Pact were ideologically opposed and, over time, built up their own defences starting an arms race that lasted throughout the Cold War.

Which of these countries is currently a NATO member but also a former signatory of the Warsaw pact?

• Austria

• Turkey

• Greece

• Hungary

Answer explanation

On 12 March 1999, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland joined NATO; Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia joined in March 2004; Croatia and Albania joined on 1 April 2009.

It is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. It codifies the longstanding custom of diplomatic immunity.

• The Copenhagen Accords

• The Geneva Convention

• The Kyoto Protocol

• The Vienna Convention

Answer explanation

The Vienna Convention is a cornerstone of modern international relations and international law and is almost universally ratified and observed; it is considered one of the most successful legal instruments drafted under the United Nations.

He is an American and naturalized Russian citizen who was a computer intelligence consultant and whistleblower who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs and prompted a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy.

• Julian Assange

• Chelsea Manning

• Edward Snowden

• Henry Edward Manning