PUTIN'S EVOLVING STRATEGY IN EUROPE

By: George Friedman

Published: Stratfor, Geopolitical Weekly; May 8, 2012

Level of Difficulty: **** (Due to subject matter; the questions themselves, with the exception of the summaries, are easier)

Location: It is suggested you Google the title along with the word Stratfor or the writer’s name to access the article. If you are a subscriber, go straight to http://www.stratfor.com

QUESTIONS

1.       Why will Putin have to adjust Russia’s approach in Europe?

Read: Putin’s Plans for Russia and Beyond

2.       When he first came to power, Putin’s strategy entailed……………………………………… Achieving this was very difficult because………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3.       Read the information in paragraph three carefully. What was the ultimate result of the policies described?

4.       What does “this tactic” refer to in the phrase “it could not use this tactic everywhere in its periphery”?

5.       What foreign policy tool, other than the military, does Putin share with Czarist Russia?

6.       What is the essence of Putin’s method of forming partnerships with countries he considers important?

Before moving on, attempt a brief summary of this section

Read: Putin’s Personal Approach

7.       Closer relations with Russia suited Germany because ……………………………………………………………..

8.       Provide on example of Chancellor Schroeder’s service to Russia on the international front.

9.       What conclusion can be drawn from the information concerning Gazprom?

10.   Why exactly did France respond to Putin’s overtures?

11.   Give one example of a service Chirac provided for Putin’s Russia.

12.   What advantages did Russia gain thanks to Putin’s friendship with Berlusconi?

13.   Give one example of the advantages Russia gained thanks to Prime Minister Putin’s continued friendship with France, Italy and Germany.

Before moving on, attempt a brief summary of this section.

Read: Changes Across Europe

14.   Why is Europe not currently concerned with Russia?

15.   What conclusion can be drawn from the information in the second paragraph in this section?

16.   Read the story of the US ballistic defense plans. How is the reaction of the current Italian government different from what it would have been in the past?

17.   What does “this” refer to in the phrase “this strategy has been cut back”?

18.   What is Russia’s main objective according to the text? Why are personal relations not the best way to achieve those objectives?

KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This concise yet superb account of Putin’s strategy should closely follow Russia’s Strategy – also on this blog – to complete the picture. I plan to spend one morning on both texts. The brief summary exercises should be checked orally.  It should be noted that these summary exercises are harder than the questions but they should be done as they provide such vital practice of an important cognitive skill.

1.       Because an anti-incumbent trend is developing in Europe.

2.       Stability and security; Russia is the world’s largest and also internally diverse country and is surrounded by potentially hostile powers.

3.       Russia was strong and steady.

4.       The first tactic or mobilizing Russia’s military to push out foreign influence.

5.       Creating alliances of convenience.

6.       Building personal relations.

7.       Russia is the world’s largest energy producer and exporter and also a place for potential heavy investment.

8.       Schroeder was alone among Western governments in not vociferously supporting Ukraine’s Orange Revolution OR Schroeder led European opposition to US efforts to begin the NATO accession process for Ukraine and Georgia.

9.       Schroeder’s ejection from office in 2005 did not end their friendship OR Schroeder’s usefulness to Putin.

10.   France has an interest in making sure it is not left out when Russia and Germany meet.

11.   Putin and Chirac allied politically against the US led war in Iraq. Chirac lobbied against NATO’s expansion to include the Baltic states of…

12.   The relationship between Russian and Italian energy companies.

13.   Complicating NATO expansion, pushing Moscow’s agenda with NATO, expanding military relationships and becoming capable of invading Georgia without European or NATO intervention.

14.   Because it is focused on keeping itself and some form of European alliance intact.

15.   Putin’s tactics of using personal relationships to help strengthen Russia’s position in Europe seem to be outdated.

16.   In the past, it would have supported Russia’s position.

17.   Germany, France and Italy would invest heavily in Russia’s economy and financial sector.

18.   To keep European powers divided while extracting what Moscow wants financially and technologically; because they are fleeting.

RUSSIA'S STRATEGY

By: George Friedman

Published: Sratfor, Geopolitical Weekly; April24, 2012

Location: It is suggested that you Google the title along with the word Stratfor or the name of the author to locate the text. If you are a subscriber, just go to http://www.stratfor.com

Level of Difficulty: **** (Due to the subject matter)

QUESTIONS

Read the first two paragraphs of the text

1.       What long standing policy objective had to be shelved post 1991?

2.       The writer draws the conclusion that the Russian Empire was never at peace. On what does he base this conclusion?

3.       The facts that Russia defeated Napoleon and Hitler and confronted the far wealthier Americans for four decades during the Cold War proves that the widely held view that …………………………………………………………………………………………… is not always right.

Read: Economy and Security

4.       What are the two general reasons for Russia’s economic woes? Why exactly do these factors become such an issue in Russia?

5.       What were the reasons for the push for the constituent parts of the empire to join forces?

6.       The writer says “If the union and the empire were to survive, they would need economic relations ordered in such a way that some regions were put at a disadvantage, others at an advantage.” What was the reason for this view?

7.       In such a system, what happens if the security apparatus fails?

8.       The third factor that bound the Russian empire together was ……………………….. It was, however, less successful than Marxism-Leninism because ………………………………………………

9.       What two conclusions did the KGB reach concerning the future of the USSR?

10.   The writer ends this section by saying “They lost the bet”. How exactly did they lose?

Before you move on to the next section, attempt a brief summary of the views expressed in the section.

Read: The Soviet Collapse

11.   Which institution was, to a large extent, able to hang on to its power and regain lost ground in time? Why?

12.   What were Putin’s three principles?

13.   It was important to Russia that Ukraine not move out of the sphere of Russian influence because ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

14.   How exactly was Putin able to regain control of Georgia and Ukraine? What would have happened if America had been able to intervene?

15.   The purpose of the Eurasian project is to resurrect …………………………………………………………..

Before you move on to the next section, attempt a brief summary of the views expressed in this section.

Read: Remaking the Union

16.   Russia’s current economic strategy involves ……………………………………………………………………..

17.   Close links with Kazakhstan and Ukraine are essential to Russia since such an alliance …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

18.   The policy of Russia under Putin is different from that of the Russian Empire in that ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

19.   Why exactly was 9/11 such a huge bonus for Russia?

20.   What are the two advantages for Russia of prolonging the problems concerning Syria?

21.   What are Russia’s twin purposes with respect to Germany?

22.   Read the paragraph that starts “For Russia,” and state clearly what conclusion we can draw from it.

23.   Read the last sentence of the text and state in your own words how the writer reaches this conclusion.

Before you stop, attempt a brief summary of the views expressed in this section.

KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This brilliant and well thought out analysis of Russia’s foreign policy is a wonderful mini history lesson, especially for our students, as they never read papers. The beauty is that it is not only content wise all encompassing and accurate but also relatively short, at four pages. It is, therefore, ideal. The summaries should be done orally so that you can prompt students if necessary. I personally think this is a superb test of comprehension; however, should you disagree, skip the summaries.

1.       To incorporate Eastern Europe, Central Asia, The Caucuses and Siberia.

2.       The borders were always dynamic…

3.       Political and military power requires a strong economy.

4.       Geography and transportation. Russia’s rivers don’t provide an integrated highway to Russia, lack of alternative modes of transport.

5.       Lack of economic integration and weakness in agricultural transport, in particular, dramatically limited prosperity in the Russian Empire and USSR the relative…

6.       The army created the Empire. Its alignment of economic interests…

7.       The regime does not survive.

8.       The Russian Orthodox Church; It created religious differentials.

9.       It had to restructure or collapse; the traditional insularity of the USSR had to be shifted

10.   The USSR collapsed/ shattered.

11.   The KGB. It was the most sophisticated and well organized portion of the Soviet apparatus.

12.   The security system was the heart of the state; Moscow was the heart of Russia; Russia was the heart of the former USSR.

13.   It was economically and geographically essential to Russian national security.

14.   Russia would have been permanently weakened.

15.   The USSR.

16.   Exporting raw material specially energy.

17.   Provides strategic depth.

18.   Putin’s strategy is to take advantage of relationships on a roughly mutual basis without undertaking responsibility for other nations.

19.   With 9/11, the USA became obsessed with the jihadist wars giving Russia a window…

20.   It will relieve pressure on Russia and give more time for reordering the former USSR.

21.   Becoming an economic partner (implied), recruiting Germany to the view that the US is a destabilizing force.

22.   Russia’s foreign policy is built around the need to buy time for it to complete its evolution.

23.   Possible answer: some of the hardest work has been done, which makes the Russian dream feasible.

THE RISE OF PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING GENES

By: Chris Cooper

Published: The Observer, Sunday, May 6, 2012; http://www.guardian.co.uk/sports

Level of Difficulty: ***

BEFORE YOU READ

1.       How important is fair play in sports or athletics and how can it be provided?

2.       How reliable are the current methods of providing fairness?

3.       What else could be done to ensure fair play?

QUESTIONS

1.       The erroneous explanation provided to explain why men are physically more powerful than women is the fact that ………………………………………………………………..(Use your own words and be brief)

2.       What seems to be the real reason for the above situation?

3.       Read paragraph three carefully and state clearly what conclusion can be drawn from it.

4.       The writer says that “Female world and Olympic records set prior to random drug testing have been much harder to break”.  How does the writer qualify this statement? Note to the student: this question means you are required to find a sentence – not necessarily the very next one – which provides the same information but expands on it. It should logically follow the statement in the question.

5.       Read the story of Dora Ratjen and state clearly whether her case was a deliberate attempt to mislead. How do you know?

6.       Read the story of AIS. What conclusion can be drawn from this information as regards the issue at hand?

7.       Read the story of Caster Semenya. In view of what you know about AIS, should she have been allowed to compete? Should people with AIS be allowed to compete at all? Discuss.

8.       If genetic enhancement is acceptable, why not pharmacological? Would it not level the playing field? Discuss.

9.       What is the current official answer to the dilemma above?

10.   What does the phrase “This cosy hypothesis” refer to?

11.   What does “this” refer to in the question “Is this fair”?

12.   Now explain where you stand in relation to the dilemma.

13.   Now read the last paragraph of the text. What does “this” refer to in the sentence “I once would have thought this a fantasy”?

WRITING: PROBLEM SOLUTION ESSAY

Write an essay in which you answer the question posed by the writer of the text: What do we do to ensure fairness in a competition? Alternatively, write an opinion essay in which you discuss your own views concerning the dilemmas presented in the text.

KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This is a text with a most definite wow factor as it is all about an issue that the students have not read about in class. It, therefore, has novelty value. The dilemmas raised in the text are also novel, which will make students sit up and focus. The questions are of varying levels of difficulty but the vast majority are analytical to some degree as are a lot of the questions on this blog. The referrals are dynamite so look out. Due to the nature of the topic, I have slipped in some moral dilemmas as well; a perfectly legit practice. I have high hopes for this task.

1.       Men hunt

2.       Males fight other males in competition for mates.

3.       Evolution has allowed a large scope for improvement to any female…

4.       Steroid doping that was widespread in the 1980’s has had a more dramatic effect in female sport than in male sport.

5.       No. Given the nature of the times…

6.       This 100 fold increase suggests the possibility of some performance enhancement due to this syndrome.

7.       Open ended.

8.       Open ended.

9.       Elite athletes are all genetic anomalies; it is just a question of how extreme the anomaly.

10.   Performance is multifactorial

11.   EPO is top of the list of performance enhancing chemicals yet there is someone who through an accident of birth is behaving exactly as if he were doping with EPO.

12.   Open ended.

13.   There being different classes dependent on different genetic sequences in key molecules. Open ended.

THE TRUST MOLECULE

By Paul Zac

Published: The Wall Street Journal; April 27, 2012

http://online.wsj.com

Level of difficulty: ***
http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_zak_trust_morality_and_oxytocin.html 

Video link provided above

BEFORE YOU READ

1.       Why are some of us kind and compassionate and others cruel?

2.       Do you feel the reason is environmental or genetic or a mixture of both?

3.       Read the title of the text. What does it imply?

4.       What would the social implications of a “trust molecule” be?

QUESTIONS

1.       The writer and his colleagues have discovered that such esteemed feelings of generosity, kindness and compassion are determined by …………………………………………………………………….

2.       Read the account of the 2001 experiment carefully and fill in the blanks below to complete the summary of the findings. Firstly, the ………………………. the levels of oxytocin, the ………………….the generosity of the subjects. Secondly, the reaction of the subjects for demands for money could be………………………………………………………………………………………………

3.       What do the following two relative pronouns refer to: “which” in “which is another way of saying…” and “which” in “which, over time, makes other people…”

4.       Under what condition does the above effect of oxytocin not work?

5.       Why exactly is oxytocin compared to a gyroscope?

6.       What conclusion can we draw from the above fact?

7.       Read the account of the experiment at the wedding. Why did the groom not fit the pattern?

8.       What is the implication of this research for society?

9.       What does the fact that many group activities cause the release of oxytocin prove?

10.   Socializing online will lead to higher levels of oxytocin if …………………………………………………………

11.   What example is provided in the text to the seeking of exposure to people outside our own families or cultural and geographic tribes? What positive outcome would such an activity achieve?

12.   How does the writer help boost oxytocin levels in his own small way?

POST READING DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.       What examples can you think of in our society comparable to the case of Washington D. C.?

2.       Can you think of any instances similar to domestic exchange programs?

3.       In what ways could oxytocin levels be increased in society?

KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This brilliant text provides a chemical explanation for virtues and as such is a completely original topic. Students enjoy science texts and this happens to be one that would interest anyone.

1. Oxytocin.
2. Higher, greater; turned on/off.
3. The person being trusted experiences a surge of oxytocin that makes her less likely to hold back and less likely to cheat; the feeling of being trusted makes the person more trustworthy.
4. If the oxytocin receptors are malfunctioning.
5. Because it helps us to maintain a balance between behavior based on trust and behavior based on wariness and distrust.
6. Oxytocin doesn’t always make us good or generous and trusting.
7. Testosterone can interfere with the release of oxytocin.
8. We could shift behavior towards the expression of oxytocin and thus improve the workings of society.
9. We have created activities that prompt the expression of oxytocin in order to foster connection to others.
10. The online activities complement more substantial personal connections.
11. Domestic student exchange programs; suspicion would fade.
12. He says he is going to give people a hug before they leave.

WOMEN SEE WORRISOME SHIFT IN TURKEY

By: Dan Bilefsky and Sebnem Arsu

Published: The New York Times, April 25, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com (Google the text if you have trouble with the paper)

Level of Difficulty: ** For the reading, task but can be done at any level as a prelude to writing.

Thanks are due, once again, to my friend and colleague Kerem Özkan for this interesting text.

BEFORE YOU READ

1.       How common is corporal punishment in your country?

2.       What are the most common reasons for the prevalence of corporal punishment?

3.       How common is domestic violence?

4.       What, in your view, are the reasons for domestic violence?

5.       Is domestic violence more widespread in certain societies in your view; if so, what kind of societies?

6.       What are the ways in which the problem can be tackled?

QUESTIONS

1.       It is implied that Gokce has turned prematurely gray because of ………………………….(Be very brief).

2.       What did Gokce accuse the government of being?

3.       Current figures concerning instances of domestic abuse are unreliable since ……………………….

4.       Despite the above, rights groups feel there is an increase in domestic abuse due to the following two reasons:

5.       Although the current changes in laws concerning compulsory education bring Turkey in line with international standards, it is feared these changes will …………………………………………………..

6.       What does “their” refer to in the phrase “With their rise, rights groups say…”?

7.       In what shameful respect does Turkey top the US and Europe?

8.       Does the current legal framework facilitate domestic violence or not? How do you know?

9.       What proof does Nigar Goksel offer to the fact that family integrity takes precedence in Turkey?

10.   What amendment still needs to be made to enable more women to join the work force?

11.   A lot of legislation friendly to women has been passed in the last ten years; however, the problem of domestic violence still persists because ………………………………………………………..

12.   How is the conclusion that finding protection is proving elusive reached?

WRITING TASK: PROBLEM SOLUTION ESSAY

The following solutions may be gleaned from the text. Before you start writing, you may want to think about how to order or organize them to provide transition and to make your piece of writing look like a well reasoned essay. One possible suggestion is dividing them into two groups: immediate and long term solutions and having a four paragraph essay. There are others however. Also, you might be able to think of solutions yourself which you may want to incorporate.

1.       Providing protection when needed by opening more shelters (The law states that every municipality with more than 50.000 people is required by law to have at least one women’s shelter) and encouraging reporting.

2.       Empowering women by making it possible for them to seek employment and by opening subsidized day care centers

3.       Making sure the existing laws are enforced by campaigning to change hearts and minds( Via the media, schools and mosques)

4.       Speeding up the training of police officers and establishing special units to deal with domestic violence perhaps with more female officers.

KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

As stated at the beginning, this activity could be handled as a challenging reading task at beginner and pre intermediate level, or as a prelude to writing at intermediate and advanced level. Related videos off tedtalks or other websites would add color to the proceedings. Students could make notes as they view the video and include this information in their essays as well.One video you could use is the one accompanying the video related writing activity on domestic violence in the writing files.

1. Her abusive husband. Class time is teaching time. They will try and give you a two paragraph answer but there is no harm in helping them locate the summary phrase.
2. The number one enemy
3. There is serious underreporting of domestic violence.
4. Turkey’s flagging prospects for EU membership, a Muslim inspired government which is increasingly embracing the conservative values of the Arab world it seeks to lead.
5. Encourage the practice of taking child brides.
6. An ascendant class of religious conservatives.
7. With respect to the incidence of domestic violence against women
8. It doesn’t. The current laws mentioned in the text.
9. Rising domestic violence and women’s slow participation in the workforce.
10. Subsidized childcare needs to be provided.
11. It is not enough to change mentalities in an abidingly patriarchal nation and to ensure that the new laws will be fully implemented.
12. The first two sentences of the previous paragraph.