Notes

Write a note in this area. It's reallyJeff was invited to a party and was informed that some foreign exchange students would be present. He hesitated, knowing that his knowledge of world affairs and terms was quite limited. Upon arriving at the party he was introduced to Anna, a German high school graduate, and Carlos,who was finishing up his last term at school in Spain. As the party progressed, they chatted about world politics and used terms that Jeff found unfamiliar. Habeas corpus? Welfare state? Bureaucracy? Soon a serious conversation took place among a number of adults about the atrocities performed by the former dictator of Uganda, Idi Amin. Some of the people became very agitated as they related some of the crimes against humanity that Amin had allowed. Jeff realized that he knew very little about Amin, Uganda, or world political terms. Anna and Carlos soon realized that Jeff was uncomfortable and they moved on to another part of the room. Jeff went home that night embarrassed, promising himself that he would learn the terms to help him be aware of the world political scene.

Review the terms and the explanations along with them. Be familiar with how they are used in relation to world politics.

Dictator. A dictator is a leader who is unrestrained by law, and who has total control over a country. Dictator Saddam Hussein of Iraq tolerated no opposition within the country, and his decisions went unquestioned by citizens, lest they face fearful consequences. His regime systematically executed, tortured, imprisoned, and terrorized the Iraqi people. He managed to keep control over Iraq even though his country had been humiliated by the United States in continual conflicts since the initial attacks of the Persian Gulf in the early 1990s.

In March of 2003, President George W. Bush ordered a military invasion of Iraq with the goal of toppling Hussein from power. The goal of removing Hussein from power was accomplished on December 13, 2003, when soldiers, including U.S. special operations forces, found him hiding in a 6-by-8-foot hole. Saddam had challenged his followers to fight to the death before, during, and after the war that eventually removed him from power, but in the end, he quickly surrendered when facing American soldiers. Hussein was captured with weapons and about $750,000 in $100 bills.



General Idi Amin was another dictator like Saddam Hussein; he ruled the African country of Uganda with an unrelenting and iron-like fist. He came to power in 1971 and quickly declared Uganda to be a Muslim country. Many non-Muslim foreigners were given 24 hours to leave the country. Even native non-Muslim Ugandans were not allowed to meet together for religious purposes. Many who were in disagreement with him were quickly killed. In 1972, he expelled all Asians from Uganda, including over 60,000 businessmen and professionals. Amin would tolerate no insubordination whatsoever, and the multitudes feared and loathed him.

In 1979, when Uganda was at war with neighboring Tanzania, Ugandan rebels allied with Tanzanian troops and drove Amin from the country. Amin was allowed to escape and settle in Saudi Arabia, where he died in August of 2003.

Bureaucracy. A bureaucracy is a system of leaders who carry out the work of the government through the use of departments or bureaus, each under the control of a director.

The Canadian province of Quebec had a bureaucracy which desired to gain independence. Because of the Quebec citizens' desire to break from the rest of the country of Canada, leaders formed committees to search for reasonable ways to make secession work. Although the vote had not been approved, each election sees the bureaucracy of Quebec work harder to gain independence.


Click on the picture to hear part of the 1995 draft proposal of Quebec's separation from Canada

The Central Intelligence Agency is an example of a bureaucracy at work. The C.I.A. is an independent agency whose director is appointed by the President. The C.I.A.'s mission is:

We are the eyes and ears of the nation and at times its hidden hand. We accomplish this mission by:
Collecting intelligence that matters
Providing relevant, timely, and objective all-source analysis
Conducting covert action at the direction of the President to preempt threats or achieve United States policy objectives
Welfare State. A welfare state is a country in which the government assumes a large share of the social caretaking of the people. Arguments continue back and forth as to the limits of the American government in making the country a welfare state. Many people feel that the government has done too much for people who could otherwise work; others feel that we have a long way to go in order to help those in need. Some states in our country have instituted a workfare legislation, which states that if you are physically able to work, you must find employment in order to receive welfare benefits.

Habeas Corpus. Habeas corpus is a much-admired right of American citizens. It can be considered a "defensive" mechanism that keeps a person from being held in jail indefinitely without a trial. The reference is to the full term writ of habeas corpus, which is a directive by a judge which requires the police to bring an arrested person into court. The court then makes a decision as to whether there is just cause to keep the person held as prisoner. In many countries where freedoms are limited, habeas corpus is seen as one of the pillars which make our country's freedoms so outstanding.

Ex Post Facto Law is a law passed or decreed after a deed has been committed making the original act illegal even though it was not illegal at the time it was originally committed. Article 1, Section 9 of the US Constitution outlawed ex post facto laws. A bill of attainder allowed a government to cease the property of a criminal and use it for whatever purpose they chose without due process. Article 1, Section 9 also guarantees no bills of attainder.

Autocracy. An autocracy gives one person complete control over all branches of government. Whenever George Washington was first considered for leadership of our country, there was talk of making him King of America. After all, an autocracy under Washington would work out quite well, wouldn't it? Of course, that idea was never carried out. The citizens of the United States wanted an active role in the workings of the government.

Louis XVI was an autocrat that ruled France. As the picture to the right attests, Louis XVI not only held sway over the clergy and the nobility, he ruled with complete authority over the common people as well. In many autocracies in history, the ruling powers could appoint and dismiss members of governmental branches whenever they desired. easy to share with others. Click here ...