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