Chapter 6: Diplomacy: United Nations

Chapter 6: Diplomacy: United Nations

4b)  Solving international disputes are the most important work of the United Nations. Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

4c) Help in economic development is the key benefit for Singapore in joining the United Nations. How far do you agree? Explain.

The role played by the United Nations	Why is this an important role?
Solving international disputes = conflicts between nations An example of how disputes are solved in through the: Sub-factor/Example:   UN security Council à 5 permanent members + 10 non-permanent members à Role is to maintain peace and security in the world à provides a platform for world leaders to discuss disputes and problems between nations peacefully and to decide what cause of action is best to solve the problem including the use of force. Sub-factor/Example: Peacekeeping forces is another way in which international disputes can be resolved by having UN soldiers to ensure that peace is maintained in areas where there was previously war.	So what? Why is this an important role? Important role à Ensuring that if there is disputes there is an opportunity and platform for nations to discuss their differences à this ensures that peaceful discussion is done instead of going to war where many people can get hurt and the world economy can also be harmed. If the UN decides that force must be used à such as when a more powerful nation invades a weaker nation e.g. Iraq invading Kuwait in 1990, then the world governments can act in coordination through the UN to stop a nation like Iraq that has violated international law by invading another state à this will help resolve the conflict much sooner + deter other nations from breaking international laws as well. Peacekeeping duties of the UN is also part of the important role played by the UN in ensuring that conflicts are resolved in the long-term à Peacekeeping forces ensure that the sides having conflicts stop their conflict and heal their differences à The UN peacekeepers also help to rebuild these war-torn nations à this is part of the process of ensuring that the disputes are permanently resolved.
Supporting economic development of less developed states à The UN sends experts to help these nations develop economically and to industrialise.	So what? Why is this an important role? Less developed nations need help to strengthen their economies à The UN is one of the only sources of help they haveà without UN help, these nations will remain poor and their people will suffer à jobless and having little income since their economy is weak. e.g. When Singapore was first independent, the UN helped by sending Albert Winsemius , an economist to help Singapore’s industrialisation.
UN creates laws that govern international behaviour à UN creates laws that dictate how nations should behave towards one another à This ensures that the world is orderly à powerful nations do not take advantage of weaker nations.	So what? Why is this an important role? The UN’s laws ensure that nations do not in take advantage of one another à if this happens à Smaller and weaker nations will come under occupation by powerful nations or be taken advantage of openly à people in these weaker nations will suffer à hence UN’s laws prevent this from happening à therefore important role.
Weighing – Which of 3 the roles of the UN is the most important? The most important role the UN plays is the creation of international law by which all nations have to abide/follow. This is the most important role because it is international law that can be used to resolve disputes between nations and prevent disputes from occurring. If there is no international law created by the UN, more nations will be at odds with one another and more disputes will arise à this will not support economic growth in the world and hence there would be no need for the UN to carry out its role to support economic development à hence the most important role of the UN must be in their creation and enforcement of international law.

Chpt 6: Diplomacy: ASEAN: Greatest benefit of ASEAN or regional diplomacy

3b) Which of the following aspects of the work of ASEAN is the most important: (Page 181 to 185)

ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)

Educational and Professional exchange

Environmental collaboration

Explain your answer.

My own question:

The following are ways in which ASEAN conducts its regional relations:

Asean Regional Forum

ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)

Educational and Professional exchange

Which is the most important for Singapore? Explain your answer.

Hint: Your explanation for each factor must be about how Singapore benefits from each of these ASEAN methods of conducting regional relations.

Factors – What?	So What? Explanation
ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) - Intra-regional Free Trade Agreement: Products sold between ASEAN nations is free of import tax. -This makes products and raw material sold between ASEAN countries cheaper/ lower cost	So what? Hence à Cost of production of goods will be lower because raw material cost and cost of component parts imported from ASEAN nations is lower in cost since there is NO import tax à The goods exported from ASEAN will be cheaper since the cost of production is lower à Therefore demand for ASEAN produced goods will be higher in other countries à Hence ASEAN trade will increase with other nations à more jobs are created + salaries of ASEAN workers will rise since more profits are mae by ASEAN companies à Economic growth à ASEAN will prosper à Hence ASEAN is important. Furthermore à countries within ASEAN will be able to export their goods to one another without import tax à increase in demand for ASEAN produced goods amongst ASEAN countries à e.g. Singapore imports rice from Thailand à Thai rice is cheaper for Singapore consumers à hence Singapore consumers will enjoy cheaper high quality Thai rice while Thai farmers will be able export more rice to Singapore since demand will be higher à Hence both ASEAN consumers and producers will enjoy the benefits of AFTA.
Educational and Professional exchange -          More advanced ASEAN Nations train lesser advanced ASEAN nations to improve the educational qualifications and the capacity of their people such as talented young adults and government officials -          Example: SCP ( Singapore cooperation program) where Singapore offers training and scholarships to people from other ASEAN nations.	So what? - Goodwill is created within ASEAN since countries help one another à there will be a more harmonious region à stable and peaceful à ASEAN nations can trade, invest in each other’s countries and prosper together. -With Educational and Professional exchange between ASEAN countries, the less advanced ASEAN countries will improve the quality of their manpower à this means that the nations will be able to modernise their economy, companies and government agencies à Hence, the people in these less advanced nations will be able to enjoy economic growth à earn higher salaries as they can now attract foreign investment e.g. TNCs à More higher paying jobs created à economy of these ASEAN countries will improve à purchasing power will rise à buy more goods and services from ASEAN neighbours à whole of ASEAN will prosper à EP Ex is important for ASEAN.
Environmental collaboration ASEAN nations help one another to solve regional environment problems à by contributing different expertise e.g. in 1997 the Indonesian forest fires created a haze that blanketed the region àaffected air travel and tourism in the region à Singapore helped Indonesia by using it satellites to monitor the forest fires and alert the Indonesian to put out the fire more quickly à haze problem will lessened.	So what? Haze problem will lessened à Air travel and tourism will be less affected à ASEAN’s tourism sector continues to have business à jobs are intact à economy of ASEAN continues to do well.
ASEAN Regional Forum -          A platform for dialogue and discussion within ASEAN and between ASEAN and other Asia-pacific nations such as China, India, Korea and Australia and other powerful nations like USA.	So what? ARF = Regional mediation platform à will allow for ASEAN nations to discuss problems within Asia-pacific region peacefully à this lowers the possibility of armed conflict/war in the region à no conflict à stability à peace à have opportunity for trade and investment to grow à economic growth for the region.

Diplomacy notes

Social Studies Sec 3 Chapter 6

Revised notes in Diplomacy.

Typical question: Bilateral relations are more important than international relations for Singapore’s success and survival. How far would you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.

Comments The essays tend to ask about the best way for Singapore to conduct diplomacy. The point is that every factor you offer must discuss HOW and WHY Singapore being a small state can benefit from using any of the 3 approaches – Bilateral, regional and International.

You should also approach the answer using Elaboration and Examples.

Main Point 1: Bilateral diplomacy/Relations is achieved when Singapore develops close diplomatic ties with another country.
Sub-point 1 Good bilateral relations with immediate neighbours like Malaysia and Indonesia à More cultural, social and business exchanges à People and governments of Singapore and these nations get to know one another better and development understanding à Peace and stability will be the outcome à This means lower chance of conflict between Singapore and these neighbouring states à better environment to promote trade and business à Singapore will have a stable environment to grow its economy à Singapore needs a stable environment to trade and make revenue for its companies à Economic growth is assured for Singapore	Sub-point 2 Good bilateral relations also raise the amount of bilateral trade between Singapore and this nation à For example Singapore and South Korea have strong bilateral ties and they have signed a Singapore-Korea Free Trade agreement à This allows Singapore companies to sell its products duty-free in Korea and this makes Singaporean products more attractively priced to Koreans à Koreans will buy more Singapore exports and this will boost the economy of Singapore since Singapore companies will earn more à Singaporeans will have a better standard of living.	Sub-point 3 Transfer of advanced technology can occur when Singapore has strong bilateral ties with another country which is more technologically advanced à This transfer of technology will have Singapore develop faster à For Example: Japan, US and Germany with whom Singapore has good bilateral ties with transferred sophisticated knowledge and technology to Singapore in the 1970s and 1980s and this helped Singapore develop and Singapore industry to improve faster à Singapore companies raised their level of productivity and efficiency thanks to such technology transfer à Singaporean products and services could be offered at a lower cost but at a better quality à raising the profit margins for Singaporean companies à increased prosperity for Singapore.
Sub-point 4 Good bilateral relations give Singapore a chance to help our immediate neighbours in need à Example after the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Singapore sent help to Thailand and Indonesia, immediate neighbours who had been most affected by the Tsunami. This offer of help showed that Singapore was willing to assist its neighbours with whom Singapore has bilateral ties à Such help further strengthens the ties and earns the goodwill of these nations which are less likely to be aggressive towards Singapore and more likely to side with Singapore in any event of Singapore facing a problem. Hence Singapore will be safer with more friendly nations which Singapore has established good bilateral ties with à This will ensure Singapore’s survival during periods when Singapore may face threats.
Main point 2: Regional relations/diplomacy is achieved when Singapore works with countries in the region as a grouping such as ASEAN.
Sub-point 1 Allows Singapore to be in a better position to negotiate and make gains from negotiations with larger states like China, India or Russia à Larger states are more willing to negotiate with a large regional grouping like ASEAN than with a small state like Singapore à Larger groupings like ASEAN have more political and diplomatic influence and clout than a single small state like Singapore à Negotiated terms may be more favourable for Singapore since the larger countries may be more willing to offer better concessions with a larger regional grouping like ASEAN à These better terms will be enjoyed by Singapore since it is part of the regional grouping à These terms may be better than what Singapore would have attained if it had negotiated with these large nations on its own.	Sub-point 2 Allows for any difference between Singapore and a member state to be settled amicably/peacefully à the regional grouping like ASEAN serves as a platform for peaceful discussion on differences/problems that Singapore may have with other nations in the region à ensures peace in the region and a stable environment à prevents conflict à Allows for trade and business be uninterrupted à foreign investors have confidence to invest in Singapore since there is less likelihood of conflict in the between Singapore and states in the region as Singapore is a member of ASEAN à Singapore will prosper as more foreign businesses set up in Singapore + trade increases + tourists will want to come to Singapore à hence by having regional diplomacy through membership in a regional grouping like ASEAN, Singapore benefits from a more stable regional environment since member states will have dialogue rather than war when differences arise à good environment for Singapore to prosper à For example, ASEAN served as a platform for Singapore and Indonesia to discuss how both countries would jointly manage the haze from forest fires in Indonesia instead of quarrelling over who should take responsibility for the fires.	Sub-point 3 More trade can be attained by Singapore with the members of the regional grouping as a member of the regional grouping là For example, Singapore as a member of ASEAN is working with the other member states to develop the ASEAN Free-Trade Area ( AFTA) which will have a potential market of 600 million people by 2015 à a tax-free trade environment will mean that Singapore companies will be able to sell more of its products to the people of ASEAN without the taxes à hence, Singapore exports will be more competitive as they will be cheaper à Singapore companies will make more money à better profits à better economic growth for Singapore àmore jobs for Singaporeans.
Main Point 3: International relations/diplomacy à Singapore joins a large international organization like the United Nations (UN) and plays an active role in the organizations activities and programs and develops ties with multiple nations concurrently.
Sub-point 1 By being part of a large international grouping like the United Nations ( UN), Singapore can benefit from the expertise offered by the UN à This was especially important when Singapore first became independent à it did not have many experts and needed external help to build up its industries and economy à Dr Albert Winsemius was an economist sent by the UN to help Singapore’s early industrialization à Singapore benefitted from his advice and was able to build the foundation of its strong economy.	Sub-point 2 Earn the goodwill of many nations at the same time  à Singapore can contribute via International Peacekeeping efforts à This will allow Singapore to be a good member of the international community à earning their respect and recognition à Singapore is a small nation and unless it contributes at the International level it may not get any recognition à By earning this recognition more nations know of Singapore à Singapore can build bilateral ties with them and develop friendship for business/trade, cultural or even military exchange which can benefit Singapore.	Sub-point 3 Building international relations via membership in international organizations give Singapore the chance to raise its profile when it can play a useful role à For example Singapore chaired the Law of the Sea Conference that decided how states would be given ownership over sea lanes and territorial waters à Singapore also has participated actively in peacekeeping operations by the UN such as in Afghanistan and East Timor à such contributions show Singapore to be a good member of the international community à helps Singapore become better known in the world à good for Singapore’s reputation à more nations may want to do business and trade with Singapore.
Weighing Good bilateral relations are the foundation stone of all other relations. If Singapore has poor bilateral relations with many nations à unlikely to be welcomed in regional and international groupings à unlikely for Singapore to be able to be accepted or to gain any benefits from such diplomatic arrangements since Singapore poor bilateral relations will prevent any cooperation with Singapore at the regional or international level. Hence, unless Singapore develops strong bilateral relations with many nations and gets along on a country-country basis, it is unlikely for Singapore to be able to gain any benefits from regional or international diplomacy or be welcomed by such groupings.

Comments on Essays - Areas for improvement

Comments on essay: Rise of Venice

Question: Here are 3 factors that contributed to the rise of Venice from the 9^th Century

v      Strategic Location

v      Sound political system

v      Venetian Adventurous spirit

Which do you think was the most important? Explain your answer.

Strategic location – The issue of ships safety for both foreign trade ships and Venetian trade ships should be stated due to sheltered lagoons and deep waters with no strong currents. The deep waters ensured that large ships could anchor at Venice without running aground while the absence of strong currents meant that the ships would be damaged as they anchored there. This allowed for trade ships to unload their cargoes safely.

Salt marshes – The salt marshes were valuable to Venice in the early years but since the question covers the period after the 9^th Century, the salt marshes were less of a reason for Venice’s rise.

Here a decent paragraph would be:

Venice’s strategic location à Sheltered lagoons, no strong currents à trade ships both foreign and Venetian could anchor safely at Venice and conduct their business uninterrupted and without concern that they would be affected by poor water conditions à ships and cargo would be safe.

Deep waters around Venice allowed for large Venetian galleys to sail in and out without running aground à ships laden with cargo could also come into Venetian waters à this allowed for trade to take place in large volumes since many ships could dock at Venice at any one time. The deep waters also supported the ship building industry that needed deep waters in its dockyards in order to build and repair the Venetian galleys.

Sound political system. Terms like this need to be defined in a way that helps you answer the question. If you wish to discuss the inclusiveness of the reformed Venetian government system and the check and balance or the specialization of duties being characteristics of sound political system, then a definition of what a sound political system is will be required.

A sound political system is a government system that improves itself to meet the needs of the country, is designed to be flexible enough to adapt to meet a country’s needs and remain relevant and to be effective.

Hence, we can write the paragraph as such:

A sound political system was one of the reasons for Venice’s rise as Venice’s political system was well-designed enough to adapt to meet the citizens and country’s needs to remain effective. One way was through the specialization of duties. This allowed for government officials to become very good at what they were doing. For example, the senate was created to specialize in areas of foreign relations and the operation of Venetian fleets. Hence, in doing so, these officials became experts at what they were doing and thus efficient and effective. By becoming experts the quality of work produced and the quality of decisions made also improved and this all benefited Venice and led to its rise.

Adventurous spirit

In discussing the adventurous spirit of the Venetians, do note that unnecessary information not regarding the Venetian risk-taking ability is not needed. You should stick information about Venetians being risk-takers and venturing beyond their region to look for new trading opportunities and use Marco Polo as your example. Do not discuss ship building or their Maritime technology because that is NOT part of the answer!! 

Q7. To what extent is membership in a regional organization the best diplomatic strategy for Singapore to follow? Explain.

Comments:

The key to doing well in this question is in addressing the question and show how and why Singapore benefits because of the different methods of diplomacy used. The degree of benefit makes each approach a good strategy.

Key areas for improvement

Instead of discussing Singapore’s membership in a regional organization, students jumped in to discuss regional relations instead of tweaking the facts to answer the question.

It is good to use ASEAN as an example and discuss how membership in a regional grouping gives Singapore the platform to settle differences it may have with states in the region peacefully and WHY this is beneficial for Singapore.

Key point is that by having membership in a regional grouping have several benefits:

e.g. Singapore is able to negotiate as part of the regional grouping from a position of strength with larger states à larger states more willing to listen to the regional grouping like ASEAN and offer better terms in the negotiations to the regional grouping than to Singapore alone à regional grouping has more diplomatic influence/clout à Singapore as part of the regional grouping enjoys these better terms which may not have attained by Singapore if it had negotiated on its own with states like India, China and Russia. 

For international relations, it must also be clear HOW Singapore benefits from such a form of diplomacy.

e.g. Building international relations via membership in international organizations give Singapore the chance to raise its profile when it can play a useful role à For example Singapore chaired the Law of the Sea Conference that decided how states would be given ownership over sea lanes and territorial waters à Singapore also has participated actively in peacekeeping operations by the UN such as in Afghanistan and East Timor à such contributions show Singapore to be a good member of the international community à helps Singapore become better known in the world à good for Singapore’s reputation à more nations may want to do business and trade with Singapore.