Christmas is no Time for an Iranian Revolution

Please take the time to reflect on what the author discusses in this article in regards to the current political climate in Iran. Provide some personal insight or reflection on what you read.

Great Britain & the European Union

What should Great Britain do in regards to their membership in the EU?

Welcome

Welcome to the Tantasqua AP Comparative Government & Politics Blog. This blog is designed to be used in conjunction with the AP Comp Gov Curriculum and will be a forum for students to respond, reflect, and exchange ideas and/or opinions on the various articles, concepts, topics, and questions that develop throughout the semester. You can expect postings and responses to occur approximately every other week. Good Luck on your summer assignment and if you need to get in touch with me please either use the blog or send me an email (prattm@tantasqua.org) .

Have a great summer and see you in September
Mr. Pratt

Final Exam

Here are some links that I found you could possibly use to review for the final exam. Some of these sources are good while some are just ok. Check them out and let me know if you think Hope they help

http://www.quia.com/pages/mmartin19/page5

http://www.studystack.com/flashcard-237060

Mexican Democracy

Happy Vacation. I hope you all are enjoying your holiday break and time away from school. Just to let you know I will be checking my email over vacation in case anybody has any questions regarding the Book Review.

In this blog I would like to see you discuss what Mexico needs to do to in order to defeat the Drug Cartels. Is this a losing battle or can the Mexican government get this under control and promote great democratic opportunities for it's people?

Happy New Year!!!
Mr. Pratt

The Digital Disruption

After reading the Foreign Affairs article enitled Digital Disruption (November/December 2010), please evaluate and discuss the role that technology will play in the world and what impact this exposure to liberal ideas will have on authoritarian countries like China and/or Iran.

EU BLOG

What should Great Britain do in regards to the European Union? Stay or Go?

I apologize for the delay in posting this. My internet access was down at home for the weekend and I just gained access to the website. Plus, as you know, I was out today so if you need an extension to Wednesday that is fine. My apologies for the delay.

Parliamentarianism vs. Presidentialism

The article for Unit 3 is a little difficult to read coming off the copier. Good news, I was able to find a link to the article online, however in order to get this you have to gain FREE access to your local library. Just click on the link below, scroll down, and follow the steps. It should not be a problem, any issues please let me know.
Good Luck


http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-14529400/constitutional-frameworks-and-democratic.html

Good Morning/Afternoon,
Please read the Foreign Affairs article regarding African Disunion in Zimbabwe. Briefly discuss how the actions taken by President Mugabe are preventing his country from building a sense of community and how he fails to foster economic & social growth. What do you predict will happen to this country in the next decade?

Please remember that a blog is not a formal writing assignment. It is designed to be a conversation amongst students ans so I encourage you to respond to the comments made and check back as often as possible.

Welcome Back

Welcome to the Advanced Placement Comparative Government & Politics Blog for Tantasqua students. This site is designed to be used in connection to the A.P. Comp. Government & Politics course here at Tantasqua. My idea for this blog is to create a forum or an opportunity for students to respond, reflect, and exchange ideas on various concepts, topics, articles and questions that come up throughout the semester. Hopefully this will turn into a nice opportunity for us to examine world affairs and if all goes well, even when the course/semester ends we could still use this as a site to help us keep up with the world.
Best of Luck
Mr. Pratt

Nigeria's Rigged Democracy

Happy Holiday's All!!
I hope that you are all having an enjoyable vacation. Throughout the semester we have investigated a number of different countries who are trying to make the transition to a legitimate democracy. We discussed early on in the semester how the world seems to be experiencing another wave of democratization whether it be Putin's Russia, Mexcio, Nigeria, and when we return from vacation Iran. We have also discussed, in great lengths, that not all transitions are smooth and easy and in addition that the western version of democracy is not always the best version. Clearly Nigeria has many hurdles to overcome if they are to ever become a legitimate democracy. After reading the Foreign Affairs article entitled Nigeria's Rigged Democracy and using any information you have absorbed from class, please indicate your feelings about Nigeria's future as a democracy.

FYI: In your blog I will be looking for at least one reference to the article.

The Last Great Revolution

In a short, but informative blogging fashion, provide the class with your thoughts about the book we are reading entitled The Last Great Revolution. Some things you might want to discuss could include:
- what you have learned so far
- whether or not you like the book
- has there been anything that has surprised you? If so what was it?
- has your opinion of the Iranian people changed?

I am really interested and looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Must post before the start of class on Thursday Nov 12th

Renewing American Leadership

The following article, written by then Illinois Senator & Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, was printed in the July/August 2007 edition of Foreign Affairs magazine. This article discusses President-Elect Obama's foreign policy and his vision for America's future as it applies to the world. Read this article and reflect on what President-elect Obama has to say. Do you agree? Disagree?? Do you like what he has to say or not? Explain.


http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86401/barack-obama/renewing-american-leadership.html

The Last Great Revolution

First off let me say how impressed I was at the in-depth discussion we had today in class. We will continue this on Tuesday. As a linking point from Friday to Tuesday what I would like you to do is BRIEFLY respond to the prompt below as well as to your classmates blog entries.

Discuss whether or not you think this book has done a decent job so far of clarifying any misinterpretations you may have had about Islam and/or Iran. Explain.

Is there any one specifc thing that you learned or that surprised you about Iran?

As a sidenote for Monday, I would like to continue the discussion of whether or not democracy and Islam can be work together.

Where Have All the Voters Gone?

According to Thomas Patterson, "Where have All the Voters Gone?"

Discuss

a) what has happened?

b) why this has happened?

c) what can be done to fix the problem.

d) Your thoughts on the article and this issue.

The Future of U.S. & Chinese Economics

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080901faessay87504/henry-m-paulson-jr/a-strategic-economic-engagement.html

Discussion Question:
What path should the United States take in establishing a economic foreign policy in regards to the emerging and growing economic power of Communist China so as to peacefullyco-exist in this ever changing global economy?

Include your thoughts on what you believe the U.S. foreign policy should be towards China as it grows into a Communist economic super-power

Next U.S. President & Foreign Affairs

Read the following article and write a short 2-3 paragraph response about what lies ahead for the next American president and what your thoughts are about this issue and the points mentioned in this article.

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080901faessay87501-p0/richard-holbrooke/the-next-president.html

China, the Olympics, & Human Rights

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/29/china.humanrights/index.html

Genocide Continues in the World

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1825366,00.html

China & the Olympics

http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080701faessay87403/elizabeth-c-economy-adam-segal/china-s-olympic-nightmare.html