PattersonMegan PA IRLS210
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International Relations Progress Assignment:
Knowledge and Assimilation of Course Objectives
Megan Patterson
International Relations 1
Course number: IRLS210
13 November 2022
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Article #1: “Not About NATO”
The author of this article claims that statements of NATO being a security threat to Russia are, in reality, part of a larger propaganda movement by the current Russian regime. This is evidenced by the fact that, throughout the 1990’s, Russia and NATO had joined in multiple alliances with goals for political and military cooperation and various regions of peacekeeping (Anonymous 2022). Additionally, the Russian rhetoric of an encroaching NATO via Ukraine is contested since the popular Ukrainian opinion of NATO was drastically lower prior to the Russian invasion in February 2022. Finally, the author argues that the lack of aggressive rhetoric and/or action in return from NATO is yet another indicator of the paranoid and disruptive nature of Russian claims of defending its sovereign interests. Therefore, instead of allowing the narrative to continue, the author suggests that the US and EU respond as strong state actors and place blame for the current situation squarely on President Putin and the Russian propagandist agenda (Anonymous 2022). Article #2: The Effectiveness of International Non-Governmental Organizations’
Response Operations during Public Health Emergency: Lessons Learned from the 2014
Ebola Outbreak in Sierra Leone
Based on the findings from Shin, Yeo, and Jung (2018), a previous lack of empirical research resulted in a level of doubt surrounding the effectiveness of international non-
governmental organizations (INGO) in response to public health emergencies. The study provided in this article, however, points to a few key elements of involvement and policy tools which would allow for rapid INGO involvement and improved effectiveness. Specifically focusing on developing countries and understanding that emergency situations do not follow a pre-determined plan, a key component of INGO intervention and crisis response is the national government and local leaders’ ability to strengthen the local response
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capability. Testing multiple hypotheses, the authors determined that the most effective INGO contribution in an evolving public health crisis is through development of healthcare infrastructure (Shin et. al. 2018). In conjunction with healthcare infrastructure, provision of medical supplies and community response training are all elements which increase effective incorporation of INGOs. A distinction between short- and long-term risk management is presented in this article, highlighting the need for INGOs to gain local trust through consideration of the cultural conventions and norms and continued fostering of assistance following the health crisis to ensure reinforced relationships and disaster response options.
Article #3: China's Multinational Corporations in the Democratic Republic of Congo's
Mining Industry: An Afrocentric Critique
This article examines the economic and social relationship between Chinese corporations and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), specifically regarding DRC’s mining industry. As the authors note, Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) are major nonstate actors with a long history of economic engagement with DRC (Rapanyane & Shai 2020). That historical and continental context, according to Rapanyane & Shai (2020), is a critical component of how Chinese mining corporations as a portion of Chinese MNCs are able to manipulate social and economic constructs to their advantage in gaining access to DRC’s mineral resources. Additionally, the authors claim that previous studies on China-
DRC relations were based on Euro-American values, thereby failing to consider an Afrocentric theoretical lens. However, this perspective is deemed crucial in understanding the
emergence of China’s exploitation of African mineral resources under the guise of social enrichment while actually pursing strictly self-interest policies for financial and resource gains.
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References
Anonymous. 2022. "Not about NATO." The New Presence (Online), 1. http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com% 2Fmagazines%2Fnot-about-nato%2Fdocview%2F2642952989%2Fse-2%3Faccountid
%3D8289. Rapanyane, Makhura B., and Kgothatso B. Shai. 2020. “China’s Multinational Corporations in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mining Industry: An Afrocentric Critique.”
Journal of public affairs
20, no. 2 (2020). DOI: 10.1002/pa.2046
Shin, Yoon Ah, Jungwon Yeo, and Kyujin Jung. 2018. "The Effectiveness of International Non-Governmental Organizations’ Response Operations during Public Health Emergency: Lessons Learned from the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in Sierra Leone" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, no. 4: 650. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15040650