Discussions

Question 1. A University of Georgia Student wrote an op-ed commemorating the end of Belgian colonial rule in Congo by arguing that contrary to all the negatives assessment of colonialism, the colonial enterprise was a good faith effort to help less fortunate nations in Africa, Middle East, America and Asia. As an example, he stated that the Japanese were doing the Chinese a favor because as an Asian country ruling over another Asian country, Japan was a better alternative to the Europeans. In addition, he stated that because the Japanese had always borrowed from China in the past, the two cultures were similar and colonial rule simply kept Asia safe for the Asians. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these assessments? What justifications for decolonization can you provide to counter this writer?

Question 2. Although religious fundamentalism cuts across all religions, some people still see extremism only as an Islamic problem. What do you think and why? Your supporting evidence could be drawn from the entire course material.

Question 3. Throughout this course, we have seen that various people and nations have come together to solve vexing problems such as the right to self-determination, decolonization movements, communism, slavery, women's rights and genocide, etc. Identify any single global issue covered in Unit 8, discuss the problem, describe what historical attempts were made to resolve it and finally explain what you think could be done in the future regarding this problem. Is there any global consensus to address this issue?