Chapter 11: Nigeria

Nigeria's key institutions were greatly influenced by the British Westminster model and Nigeria even had a prime minister

as chief of government but in 1979 the constitution shifted to a modified model that resembles a U.S. presidential style 

system. Like the U.S., Nigeria's president combines the head of state with chief of government with a four year term. The

U.S. model shows up again in Nigeria's legislative branch with their bicameral National Assembly, the senate contains 109 

seats, all 36 states have 3 senate seats, the House of Representatives has 360 seats , 10 for each state. The difference 

between the U.S., Nigerian model is that Nigeria gives each state 10 seats in the House of Representatives regardless of 

the population. 

Attached is an article that argues that although the model of the government resembles and shares several parallels with
the U.S., Nigeria maintains an inefficient, systematic  and corrupt local government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/opinion/maja-pearce-in-nigeria-politics-isnt-local.html?_r=0

Nicaragua's Social Progress Index: 62nd

Nicaragua is ranked 62nd on the Social Progress Index. Issues concerning the Basic Human Needs Dimension, Nicaragua does best in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, offering its citizens several opportunities to better their wellbeing by focusing on Shelter which means the country focuses on providing citizens with affordable housing, access to electricity and the quality of electricity supply. To my personal surprise Nicaragua surpasses other countries in regards to providing citizens with the access to basic knowledge and in providing people opportunities to improve their position within society. They also scored highly in personal freedom and choice but Nicaragua would benefit from investing in giving citizens access to advanced education and access to information and communications. 

Chapter 10: Brazil

Brazils parliament is bicameral with the lower house consisting of 513 members, each elected for four year terms. The largest party is Lula’s PT but only has 88 seats. During elections each of the 15 parties us a multimember PR district where candidates can either pick a party or pencil the name of the preferred candidates into the ballot. Historically the military presidents have had and maintained more power than civilian successors. The military has served as part of Brazils political institutions for several years due to the countries weak political infrastructure. For example, when the country reaches a state of distress and chaos, the military has to step into political positions due to the disorganization and incapability of the countries politicians to properly handle the demands of the general public. 

In the link below, further proof of the militaries influence is depicted as Brazils defense minister finally agreed to investigate potential human rights abuses on the behalf of the military facilities believed to be committed during the countries 21 year old dictatorship.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brazil-armed-forces-to-probe-dictatorship-abuses/2014/04/01/273442bc-b9e3-11e3-80de-2ff8801f27af_story.html 

Chapter 9: Mexico

Mexico has molded several of its institutions based on the U.S. models because it prefers presidential to parliamentary systems. Like the U.S., Mexico combines the head of state and chief of government and maintains a bicameral congress. Although it has a bicameral congress, it is not as important or valued the same as the Mexican presidency. Mexico has not yet become a true democracy because the democratic institutions within the country have been weakened by the PRI which has dominated much of Mexico’s politics, which has dominated all three branches of Mexico’s national government. When Zedillo left office, his political exit resulted in the ending of the PRI’s 71 year continuous rule but the party still maintains much control over numerous state and local governments and continued to be a major force in both chambers of the national legislature

Attached is an article that focuses on the  notorious Mexican party. 

http://www.iop.harvard.edu/mexico’s-pri-repeating-history-or-looking-forward

Chapter 8: India

“India is a collection of old cultures but a new nation”

India’s economy continues to flourish and the elite continue to be the expected demographic to receive a proper education.The British takeover resulted in the colonialism exploiting India. Similar to Britain, India is a parliamentary system with its cabinet formed from members of parliament. India is a socialist country but under Gandhi, the Congress movement insisted on maintaining the Indian government secular even though there are some Hindu nationalists that disapprove. India has no monarch but similar to Germany, the president has a weak position.Similar to Britain, the prime minister maintains a lot of power and even has the power to ask the president top invoke the presidents rule which maintains the power to take over in the state government in case of an emergency. For example, in case of riots the prime minster could run the country directly. India’s large cabinet is selected by the prime minister and India’s parliament is bicameral with the upper chamber maintaining more power. 

Below is an article about the prime ministers most recent political activity. Below he is being described as missing in action as the 2014 general elections near and its claimed he is upset with the Congress spokesperson PC Chacko’s most recent public statement which addressed the nation and poorly portrayed Singh's leadership. 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/elections2014/the-big-story/manmohan-takes-back-seat-but-active-behind-the-scenes/article1-1199017.aspx

Chapter 7: China

The global financial crush left several western economies very defenseless and vulnerable. In contrast to several Western countries, China’s economy slow downed but inevitably the Chinese market grew and expanded. Many Chinese nationalists believe that other countries should follow the “New China model” with several people arguing which aspects of the model make it successful within their country. In China there are little to no democratic debates, the country invests a lot of money within state infrastructure and there is strong support for the export division in China. China’s ideology has a strong emphasis on private enterprise and free markets. Two components of the “New China model” is that it allows economic freedom but enforces political repression, as a strong believer in political freedom and democracy, I am curious to see just how long these two components can coexist. In the article below, China fears its economic stability due to Ukrainian conflicts and many are waiting for the end result of U.S.-Russian talks on the Ukraine. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/asian-stocks-follow-wall-street-lower/2014/03/13/c45c6a5a-ab2a-11e3-b8ca-197ef3568958_story.html

Chapter 6: Russia

        Russia's executive power is divided between the President and the Prime Minister. The President is the most influential and the Federal Assembly of Russia is represented by the legislature which is divided into two chambers, the State Duma and the Federation Council. The The State Duma is the lower house and the Federation Council is the upper house, combined they form a bicameral parliament. The State Duma has 450 members who due to recent legislature in 2008, are elected for terms of five years. All proposed bills even those proposed by the Federation Council must first be evaluated and considered by the State Duma. In relation to presidential power, the president has authority over both houses of parliament. Both houses have to pass any law he wants which includes passing laws that have potential to give him more influence and power. 

Below is an article where Putin is compared to Hitler due to violating the sovereignty of the Ukraine. It goes to show just how influential and powerful the Russian president can be. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-lane-is-vladimir-putin-truly-a-modern-day-hitler/2014/03/05/1666bd12-a47a-11e3-8466-d34c451760b9_story.html

Chapter 5: Japan

          Japans government resembles that of several British governments but does not necessarily function like one. Japan also has a monarchy but it is only seen as divine with little to no political influence. Someone with little power is the prime minister himself.The prime minister is appointed by the Emperor of Japan once he has been selected by the Diet and can only remain in office as long as  members of the House of Representatives are satisfied with the prim ministers political standing.For example, the prime minister can make promises with other countries but does not have the power to follow through with anything he may promise. They also lack influence because of their four year term and the fragmentation of the two big Japanese parties. Below is an article that talks about the approval rating of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet. 

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001040781

Chapter 4: Germany

          Germanys political culture has undergone a huge shift since World War II. Germanys contemporary political culture mirrors that of several liberal Western democracies and is an incredibly stable state. After World War II, Germany made an effort to manage its sense of nationalism and anti-extremism in politics. The democratization of the country resulted in the original authoritarian state being replaced by an open civil society. In contrast to the majority voting two-party systems present in countries like the United States and Britain, Germanys government consists of two or more parties and does an outstanding job in self administrating the country. In economical terms, Germany takes a leading role due to its free-market. During the 2008 recession, Germany was not in as much debt as the United States due to 20 percent of Germanys economy relying on manufacturing and another good portion dedicated to major exporting. The New York Times article below goes into further detail in regards to Germanys moderate economic growth over the past couple of years. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/business/international/german-economy-grows-at-modest-pace.html?_r=0 

Chapter 3: France

Frances economy is a very unstable one in comparison to the one in the United States. Poverty rates are increasing and unemployment is double that of the United States. In other words, France is progressively in an economic decline. The reading offered some perspective, informing me that postwar period, a large portion of French business and industry was state-owned but due to privatization programs, an even larger portion of the French labor force is still in the public sector. The big problem facing France is that of unemployment. According the Roskin, many believe the unemployed may be put off or unenthused from finding employment due to the liberal unemployment and welfare many receive. In the French work force, the firing process is a pain for firms because it is an expensive process because the working class protects wages and jobs through their votes even if said votes create mass unemployment and economic inability. My link concerns French business delegation in Iran. Several executives and prospective investors from a number of France’s sustainable companies attended an Iranian-French business conference in hopes of regaining economic networks alive, due to Iran’s recovering economy. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/french-business-delegation-in-landmark-iran-visit/2014/02/03/340f4860-8ccf-11e3-9ed8-259977a48789_story.html

Chapter 2: Britain

I found chapter 2 to be very informative since I know very little about the UK government.  I learned that the government is led by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the monarch and in turn is responsible in selecting Ministers, all of which compose the cabinet. The ministers are all members of Parliament and members seek reelection every five years and advise the monarch. Parliament is divided in two houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is the lower house of Parliament, the house the Prime Minister must answer to and maintain support from. The House of Lords is the upper house in parliament that regularly reviews bills presented in the House of Commons. Unlike the House of Commons, the House of Lords is primarily composed of high ranking clergy and members of nobility. Although the UK has a monarch, there is a clear detachment between the government and the monarchy. 

The link I found is an example of the members of the Lords summarizing and overlooking the second reading to the proposal of The Water Bill which would allow UK residents to switch their water suppliers. 

http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2014/january/lords-water-bill/

Chapter 1: Democracy

In reading Chapter 1 of Countries and Concepts by Michael G. Roskin the concepts of democracy and revolutions coincide. For example, the Egyptian Revolution took place in 2011 in attempts to overthrow President Mubarak. Later in the year the revolution lead to the democratic election of Mohamed Morsy. In early 2013 Morsy was overthrown and Egypt is currently attempting to once again achieve a democratic stance as a country since the revolution left the country incredibly unstable. In attempts to realize democracy Egypt has been subjected to the loss of thousands of civilians and protestors creating a sense of political and national chaos.Egypt is currently looking into adopting a new constitution which will hopefully turn around the oppressive state of the country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/world/middleeast/vote-validates-egypts-constitution-and-military-takeover.html?ref=egypt&_r=0

Made my blog and am looking forward to the class.