Critical Thinking Questions

Oxfam America offers a fresh perspective on the issues affecting people living in the global South. You, the readers, are mostly college students in the North, primarily in the United States. Did Oxfam’s perspective change your views, reinforce your views, or did you find Oxfam’s approach off-target? Did this section make you more or less likely to engage with the lives of people living far away and in very different conditions and cultures from your own? What lessons can you draw from Oxfam’s experiences that might enhance your understanding of the topics in this textbook, such as conflict (Chapter 5), trade (Chapter 8), and especially international development (Chapter 13)?

Whether through Oxfam’s approach or another way, we hope that you as students in the global North will see the global South as part of your community, as among your problems and opportunities, and as an integral part of your life. We authors are trying to do the same: For 15 years we have donated more than 5 percent of the royalties from this book to Oxfam America. The important thing, however, is not the particular actions you take or contributions you make—humanitarian, political, career, volunteer—but that you see the whole world and not just your corner of it as the context for your life. Think globally!

The following critical thinking questions connect the Oxfam section to the subject of International Relations as discussed elsewhere in this book.

This activity contains 4 questions.

	IR theorists speak of levels of analysis (see p.18) as a way to think about the multiple influences on outcomes. Oxfam also uses levels of analysis to represent a multi-faceted approach to solving problems in international development. The Mozambique cotton example included local initiatives to train farmers in new methods; national actions to organize cooperatives as a counterweight to governments and companies; and global activism to amplify farmers’ voices in world trade negotiations. How important do you think it is to study IR on multiple levels of analysis and to work for change on multiple levels as well? Would it be better to concentrate on one (presumably most important) level?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	Oxfam sometimes confronts corporations, such as the gold mining company in Ghana, but at other times successfully appeals to corporations’ enlightened self-interest to use their power for good, as when Starbucks agreed to pay more to Ethiopian coffee growers. Do you think multinational corporations (see pp.336–338) are a force for good or for bad in international development? Or if both have some truth, what makes the difference from case to case?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	The partnership of organizations in the global North and global South can, potentially, reflect elements of all three core principles discussed on pp. 4–9. For instance, foreign aid can impose the values and culture of the North on former colonies (dominance); it can give help while opening markets for the North’s goods (reciprocity); or it can draw upon a shared sense of humanity (identity). Which principle is most effective in your view? In particular, should the North offer humanitarian assistance with no strings attached, such as providing sprinklers to Peruvian herders, or should it concentrate on mutually beneficial exchanges, such as buying fair trade coffee? Or, if both approaches work, when and where is each appropriate?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	Oxfam’s work in El Salvador, Democratic Congo, and Sudan grapples with the effects of recent or ongoing wars. How important is peace and conflict resolution in meeting the basic needs (human rights) of desperately poor people? Do you see war as a predominant factor in poverty (see pp.442–443) or as an issue separate from economic development (see Chapters 5–6)? If war is a central impediment to development, should humanitarian groups such as Oxfam work to reduce violent conflict, or is that job best left to specialized organizations such as international peacekeeping troops?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

Copyright © 1995 - 2010 Pearson Education . All rights reserved. Pearson Longman is an imprint of Pearson . Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Permissions