CONTEMPOWORLD: The Contemporary World
MOD 5: Institutions, Laws, and Norms
Transcribed by: DEBALUCOS
Source: 5. Institutions, Laws & Norms of Global Governance.mp4
Date: November 11, 2022
PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
• World is anarchic but also interdependent.
→ There is not one body that can dictate other countries how
to act. Violation of certain rules require punishment.
→ There is not a one-world government.
How is International Law Made?
1. Customary Law – The sometimes-unwritten rules that codify
the normal behavior of the states.
o Example: State representatives are immune from suit of
local courts.
o Laws based on customs, ingrained in the culture, or
“obvious to everybody so you would not need to write a
law.” Can be ambiguous.
o If enough states start a practice, a new customary law can
be created.
→ Example: UNCLOS (United Nations Charter on the Law
of Seas) – claims to fisheries over 200 nautical miles
from shore.
2. Treaties – An agreement between states that are legally
binding for those that become parties.
o More precise in outlining rights and duties of parties.
o Conflict between participation of states and their
commitments.
What Happens When a State Violates Int’l Laws/Agreements?
• There is no global government that enforces laws through
violence.
• Changing Relations
o Changing Visa requirements; it may become harder for
people of the violating country to apply for Visa towards the
violated country.
o Bar Overflights – Countries would not allow you to fly over
their country.
• Counter measures – A violated state reneges on a treaty in
response to the violating state.
• International backlash – Foreign companies may stop doing
business in violating countries.
Sanctions
• Preventing the flow of goods, resources, and aid to “violating”
nations. It affects individuals, corporations, and industries.
• Critiques
→ Sanctions do more damage to innocent civilians than the
governments and heads of states perpetrating the
violations.
• Current Crises
(1) Yemen – Food crises (as shown in a previous video).
(2) Cuba – Known for having the longest blockade or embargo
in history. The US put the embargo on Cuba since it was a
“communist nation” and they did not want to do and/or
support the business of a communist with the country.
(3) Venezuela – Sanctioned by the US due to their communist
leader (2016 or 2017). Venezuelan citizens were leaving the
country.
(4) Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) – Boycotting
products, industries, or businesses that support the Israeli
regime.
Preventing Conflict and Ensuring Security
• How do we prevent countries from going to war?
• Collective Security – Violation against one is violation to all.
Example: Iraq Invasion of Kuwait (1990)
→ Iraq was under Sadam Hussein. Though Kuwait was small,
Iraq also fought the US and Great Britain among many
others for their invasion.
• Traditionally against external aggression; now broader in its
scope to encompass things such as Human Security.
EARLY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
• Concert of Europe – Federation of conservative European States
that wanted to prevent the spread of revolution catalyzed by
Napoleonic France.
→ Wanted to maintain monarchism and subdue nationalism
as well as democratic forms of government.
League of Nations (1920)
• Instituted in the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference that was the
result of WWI.
→ Formulated and outlined by former US President Woodrow
Wilson.
• The US did not join since it was not ratified by the US.
→ Too focused on Europe rather than the globe.
• Could not prevent aggression.
→ Examples: Japan invasion of Manchuria, Italian annexation
of Africa, and WWII in general.
• Sanctions were weak because it was not global.
United Nations (1945-Present)
• Formed as a result of WWII with the UN Charter of 1945.
• The international organization in charge of preventing another
world war.
(1) Security Council (Executive branch)
o Enforces state compliance of a resolution, can decide on
sanctions or military action.
o Has 15 members.
o 5 permanent members – USA, UK, France, Russia, and
China with 10 members voted in by the General Assembly
(reflects world regions).
o 9/15 majority vote to pass.
(2) General Assembly (Legislative branch)
o Where countries deliberate with each other and make
resolutions.
o 1 vote per country.
o Peace and security (needs 2/3 majority vote); everything
else or other matters (simple = anything over 50%).
o Presidency changes depending on region.
o Hard to make a decision.
(3) Secretariat
o Led by a Secretary-General appointed by the General
Assembly at the recommendation of the Security Council.
o Does the day-to-day operations of keeping the UN
bureaucracy alive and running.
o Peace-keeping operations
(4) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
o Foster international cooperation for development, oversee
human rights situations of particular countries.
o Where the international financial institutions step in.
o Examples: IMF, WB, WTO
(5) International Court of Justice (ICJ—Judicial branch)
o Meant to settle international disputes between countries
(e.g., territory).
International Criminal Court (ICC)
• Instituted by this sort of treaty called the Rome Statute and
went into force in 2002.
• A court that punishes leaders of countries that commit human
rights violations, war crimes, etc.
• Prevent genocide, end impunity, and deter future war criminals.
• Steps in when a nation-state fails to bring justice.
• The Philippines became a party in 2011 and left in 2019.
Legal Structure
• Non-interference – Member-states cannot interfere with
another member-state.
• Consensus – No voting, all member-states must consent.
• ASEAN Summit – the policy making body where heads of states
meet.
• ASEAN Community Council Pillars
o ASEAN Political-Security
o ASEAN Economic
o ASEAN Socio-Economic communities
AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM
• The US is free from the constraints of international law because
of its position and relevance as perceived “Superpower”.
• Example: Iraq War in 2003, when the US claimed that Iraq had
weapons of mass destruction (WMD); the US invaded Iraq
against the UN’s wishes.
• Not part of the ICC.

Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Discussion Questions

• The deployment of armed personnel to reduce and subdue What are some things that current global governance does well?
conflicts happening within a nation-state. What are some things that it does not and could be improved?
• Countries adverse to this idea in defense of sovereignty.
o India partition – Formerly ruled by Britain and formed two
countries after WWII: India and Pakistan.
o Nakba saw the need for armed personnel.
→ Arabic word meaning catastrophe.
→ Refers to Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948.
• Could not prevent the atrocities that occurred in Rwanda and
Yugoslavia in the ‘90s.
• Abuse by UN Peacekeepers (e.g., sexual abuse in Haiti).

REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
European Union (EU)
• Regional organization of European nations.
• European Council – Comprises of heads of states of European
nation-states.
• Direct political direction of EU. The EU features:
o Commission (Executive) – Proposes legislation.
o Parliament & Council of Ministers (Legislature) – Has
political parties which voted for by citizens.
o European Court of Justice (Judiciary)
• European-nations are economically integrated.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

• Not as centralized and structured when compared to the EU.
• Created in 1967 that was an alliance of Southeast Asian
countries that were trying to prevent Communism
• To protect the countries from fighting with each other (e.g.,
Sabah claim between the Philippines and Malaysia).
• Protect against communist insurgencies happening throughout
the region.
 CONTEMPOWORLD: The Contemporary World

MOD 6: Aspects of Global Culture

Transcribed by: ESPINOSA, FLORDELIS
Source: Aspects of Global Culture.mp4, 6. Aspects of Global Culture.pdf
Date: November 30, 2022

GLOBALIZATION → Within the Islamic religion there are differences in

• Increasingly it seems the world is becoming more
interconnected due to changes in technology, the free-market,
and the organization of the world.
• Scholars call this phenomenon of “interconnectedness”
globalization.
→ The free movement of goods, peoples, and ideas between
nations.
History of Globalization
• Globalization was present to a degree in the past.
→ In the form of colonialism in Asia, Africa, and the New
World (the Americas).
→ Limited due to technology.
Consolidation of Globalization in the Present
• Globalization in the present was brought upon by the advent of
capitalism as an economic system.
→ Workers produced goods to be sold on a market, not to be
directly consumed.
• The dissolution of monarchies as a form of government,
replaced by constitutional democracy.
• Better innovations in transportation & communication.
The Different Aspects of Globalization
• Economic – different economies of different countries rely on
each other for manufacturing and trade.
• Political – different countries cooperating with each other to
maintain global peace & order.
→ Examples: UN, EU, ASEAN
• Cultural – technological innovations like the internet allow
different countries to exchange culture with one another.
practice and political organization.
→ There is no single Islamic culture.
2. Cultures do change.
→ Cultures are always in flux and are not static entities.
3. Cultures can cooperate with one another despite differences.
Cultural Hybridization
• Emphasizes the mixing of cultures as a result of globalization and
the production, out of the integration of the global and the local
of new and unique hybrid cultures that are not reducible to
either local or global culture.
→ Cultures do change through interacting and mixing, unlike
cultural differentialism.
• A mixture of two or more cultures that results into a whole
different culture that is unique.
• The world is getting more culturally diverse.
→ Example: Philippine and Korean culture interact and
cultural exchange occurs, it creates a whole new culture.
o Banh mi sandwiches (mixture of Vietnamese and
French cuisine).
Cultural Convergence
• States that globalization tends to lead to increasing sameness
throughout the world.
→ Agrees with cultural hybridization but differs by stating that
the fusion of local and global cultures do not create more
unique cultures, but the same global culture.
• Cultures interacting with another at a high-rate lead to cultures
becoming more homogenous.
→ Global culture – creates more homogenous culture instead
of hybridizing cultures.

Discussion Question 1 Cultural Imperialism

What do you think are some effects/consequences of Globalization? • Particular cultures impose themselves on a society, which in
turn ends up destroying a local culture.
THEORIES OF GLOBAL CULTURE • Examples: American culture, Korean culture, etc.
Cultural Differentialism → McDonalds can be found everywhere in the world.
• Posits that cultures of various societies remain fundamentally
different from one another despite the changes that come from Discussion Questions 2 & 3
globalization. Which of these theories seem the most accurate to you? Why?
→ Cultures will always stay the same. How do you think the Philippines is influenced by Global Culture?
→ Because they do not change, they will always be different
from one another, never reconcile with each other, and SUMMARY
difficult to interact with each other. • Cultural Differentialism – a theory that states culture will
• States that culture will remain the same despite of technological remain the same despite of external forces and influences.
advancement and sources of external culture. • Cultural Hybridization – a theory that states that when two or
• Examples: more culture interact with each other, they blend into a brand-
o Some scholars, political figures, & groups think that the new unique culture.
differences between Western Societies and Islamic • Cultural Convergence – a theory that states that cultures are
Societies are irreconcilable. now interacting with one another so much that culture.
o Clash of Civilizations – Samuel Huntington
o They cite terrorist attacks as examples. Three Common Critiques of Cultural Differentialism
→ 9/11 1. Treats culture as monolith.
→ Charlie Hebdo in France 2. Culture is ever changing, not static.
→ Moro conflicts in Mindanao 3. Cultures can cooperate with one another instead of harming
each other.
Criticisms of Differentialism • Cultural Convergence occurs more commonly throughout the
1. Treats cultures as a monolith. world.
→ Monolith = every person of that culture thinks and
behaves the same way.
 CONTEMPOWORLD: The Contemporary World

MOD 7: Tech & Media in Global Culture

Transcribed by: ESPINOSA, FLORDELIS
Source: Technology & Media in Global Culture.mp4, 7. Technology & Media in Global Culture.pdf
Date: November 30, 2022

TECHNOLOGY’S EFFECTS ON TIME & SPACE (2) Increasingly, knowledge of the distant lands became more
• New technologies have compressed time & space. tangible.
→ The world becomes smaller because methods become (3) Store information.
faster. • No need for messages to be in physical form.
→ Technology is innovating rapidly due to the competition → Examples: Telegram, Messenger, Email, Radio, & Television
and profit motive from capitalist markets.
→ Different companies are trying to make more inefficient Media Imperialism
products not only to buy but also to use in their factories • Media Imperialism – monopoly of media, US conglomerates
and their transportation services. shape media and cultural landscape.
→ Capitalism is sort of the grounding for technological → US Conglomerates shape media & cultural landscape (e.g.,
innovation, through innovation they’ve had effect on CNN, Fox, etc.).
globalization because it’s made the world smaller → These foreign entities sort of destroy the local culture (local
• Capitalist Grounding of Technological Innovation media).
→ Example: Shipping Containers, Airplanes, Ships, Internet • Critiques:
→ Made it easier, faster, and more efficient to move objects. (1) Lack of Nonwestern competition
→ Keeps production costs low. (2) Al Jazeera, Korean Media
• Technology plays a very important role in globalization and • Regional Media (e.g., ABS-CBN, GMA)
transporting people in different countries, transporting goods • Grassroots Independent Media – media that are not influenced
and commodities and transporting ideas throughout the world. by corporate or foreign interests (e.g., Altermidya, social media).
• Trolls – people who are influenced by money; posting on
Uneven Distribution of Technologies Twitter, Facebook, or any social media platform.
• Distribution of the latest technologies is not spread equally
throughout the globe. Differences in the Interpretation of Media
• More developed countries have access to life saving medicines • Not all media are interpreted the same way throughout the
and medical technology compared to poorer countries. globe.
• There is clear disparity between the privileges of wealthy and → People of various social backgrounds and contexts will
poor countries. interpret the same media in different ways.
• Medical Technology • “Death of the Author” – What defines meaning is not the
→ Developed and Undeveloped Divide (i.e., Global North and Author’s Intent, but the Audience Interpretation.
South). → Developed by Roland Barthes & Michelle Foucault.
→ Drugs made for wealthier countries not poor. • Breaking Bad – not received well in the UK as they could not
o Example: Emphasis on cholesterol medicine instead of relate with it.
malaria medicine since cholesterol medicine is in more → UK can’t relate well for they have free health care which
demand in first world countries compared to malaria provide by National Health Care Services.
medicine which is only needed by third world countries
who cannot afford them. Discussion Question 2
o AIDS medicine is accessible in the Global North rather What are the most fundamental ways in which the internet has affected your life
and global society as a whole?
than South where it is more common.
→ Drugs only produced if they can make profit.
o Drugs that cure are not profitable than drugs that treat HISTORY OF THE INTERNET
ongoing diseases. • Invented in Geneva, Switzerland at the European Council for
Nuclear Research (CERN) in 1989.
Uneven Development of Technology → Means of accessing the Internet are American.
• Technology does not develop equally throughout the globe. → Started in the US military, split between MILNET (Military
• Leapfrogging – societies and nations bypass certain Network) & Internet for Public Use.
technologies. → 90% of internet traffic goes through technologies owned or
→ Example: Filipinos have access to smartphones but high- developed by America.
quality paved roads are still somewhat rare. → Examples: Google, Facebook, Microsoft
• Other countries have tried to make their own Internet
Discussion Question 1 infrastructure not dependent on US.
How does media influence culture? → China Great fire wall, Weibo.

HISTORY OF MASS MEDIA & ITS EFFECTS The Culture Industry & Manufacturing Consent
• Print Capitalism in Europe (e.g., books, newspapers, etc.) • Corporate Conglomerates and MNCs own Media Outlets.
→ Result of the Protestant Reformation; used vernaculars → Jeff Bezos owns Washington Post
instead of the usual Latin language. → ABS-CBN & the Lopez Family
→ Printing Press became systematized. → Pierre Omidyar & Rappler
→ Books – gain more knowledge and store Information. • Noam Chomsky
• Effects: → Manufacturing Consent
(1) Easier to produce books and prints, making it more → The Media distorts the truth in order for people consent to
accessible. certain government policies (e.g., War).
• Frankfurt School
→ Culture Industry
→ Media makes us less willing to engage in meaningful social
change.
→ Remember Ideology as distorting reality.

Surveillance & Privacy Concerns

• All Information is concentrated in the US.
→ Patriot Act – allows US government to search logs.
→ US had majority control of information.
• Edward Snowden Revelations (2013)
→ National Security Agency (NSA) spying on Americans
without warrants.
→ Companies were giving NSA personal information to the
government to surveil individuals.
• Five Eyes – Intelligence alliance between Australia, Canada, New
Zealand, UK, & US.
• The US gives it surveillance technology to other countries.

Effects of Surveillance
• Effects:
(1) Limits freedom of Expression if Government is scrutinizing
what you post
(2) Self-Censorship
(3) Breach of Privacy
• Websites extract information & sell it to companies.
→ Cambridge Analytica
→ Stole information and used it for political ends.

The Internet as a Democratic Space

• Internet is a democratic space.
→ High degree of Anonymity
→ 4chan – relatively free from social constraints – gender,
race, wealth etc.
→ Promotes Equality
• Grassroots Mobilization – information can be circulated even if
there are attempts for the government to ban it.
→ Myanmar Coup
• Easier to organize mass political mobilizations.
→ No need for physical interaction.
→ Can disseminate issues to a wider audience, even
internationally (e.g., Arab Spring).
• Open & Free Source technologies.
→ Wikipedia, Linux, Firefox, GIMP

Disinformation
• “Fake News” – claims are easier to post without substantiating
evidence.
→ Regular people are on the same levels as experts.
• Sourcing is not as rigorous on the internet than in academic
settings (e.g., Wikipedia, Google).
• Troll Accounts – meant to harass other groups or individuals ;
sometimes paid for political purpose.
 CONTEMPOWORLD: The Contemporary World
MOD 8: Environment, Climate Change
Transcribed by: ESPINOSA, FLORDELIS
Source: The Environment, Climate Change, & Disasters.mp4, 8. The Environment, Climate Change, & Disasters.pdf
Date: November 30, 2022
CLIMATE CHANGE BASICS
Discussion Question 1
What to you are the causes to our current ecological crisis?
• Greenhouse Effect – Greenhouse Gases are any particle that
absorb the infrared radiation of the sun (e.g., Carbon).
→ Found in fossil fuels and other natural gases such as
methane.
• The Earth’s atmosphere traps greenhouse gases without
releasing it.
• The Earth slowly becomes hotter and hotter as more gases
absorb more heat from the sun.
Ideological Shifts
• Societal Evolution – as societies become more technologically
advance, humans have changed how they see nature.
→ Societies necessarily become more technologically advance
as time progress; there is more emphasis on technology.
→ Primitive ways of being were outmoded; Europeans
thought it gave them the right to destroy other “primitive
cultures.”
o “Survival of the Fittest”
• Anthropocentric – a theory that states humans are the center
of the world.
→ The environment only existed for human betterment.
→ Nature is only a source of tool for humans to use.
INEQUALITY AMONG COUNTRIES
• The biggest contributors of Climate Change come from
developed countries usually from the north (e.g., USA, China,
Japan).
• The poorer countries (usually of the south) suffer and receive
most of the negative effects of climate change.
Indigenous Peoples
• Indigenous peoples and communities are highly susceptible to
ecological changes or dilemmas.
• Most of them rely on nature for their way of life which is why
they are the ones impacted the most.
• Indigenous people’s way of life is now being threatened as
climate change gets worse.
→ Lumad lands are target for logging and mining companies.
→ Many indigenous people are the frontliners when it comes
to climate related issues.
• Indigenous people usually practice sustainable ways of living.
→ Examples: Bajau Fishing, Lumad shifting cultivation.
Capitalism’s Contributions
• Capitalism relies accumulating greater sums of profit motive.
→ Gets in the way of ecological considerations.
→ Companies are sacrificing the environment for greater
profit.
• Colonialism and Imperialism.
→ Resource extraction of developing countries.
• Consumerism defined as the need for creating more products
for consumption and promotion of the interests of consumer.
→ Planned obsolescence.
• Ecological Economics.
→ Argues that economics should focus on environmental
concerns or there will be no resource for commodities.
DISASTER AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
• Climate Change.
→ The increasing of global temperatures causes glaciers in the
North & South pole regions to melt.
→ Sea Levels are rising as a result.
o Disproportionately affects archipelagic countries in the
South who are losing their lands to the sea.
o There are some countries in the south that are slowly
being submerge under sea level.
• Erratic Weather Pattern.
→ Typhoons are becoming more violent and stronger (e.g.,
Yolanda).
→ Gets cold in hot places; Gets hot in cold places.
o Hot places are now abnormally experiencing cold
weathers and vice versa.
→ Droughts are occurring frequently.
o Examples: Sahara Desert expansion, Yangtze River in
China is experiencing drought.
Displacement
• Populations are slowly leaving their lands in order to avoid
climate related dilemmas.
→ These results to an increase of climate refugees.
→ Border Conflicts
Environment Damage and Its Consequences
• Loss of Biodiversity.
→ 20% of all plants and animals are currently under the threat
of being extinct; the result of human development projects.
• Destruction of key Habitats.
→ Mangroves protect against floods and tsunamis, trees
against landslides are being cut.
 Food & Water Security • Degrowth – emphasizes the creation of an economic system
• Food Security. that does not rely on perpetual grow base on the need for profit.
→ Attaining food will become harder (e.g., flooding of farms,
overfishing, desertification). Discussion Question 2
→ There is less and less place where humans can plant crops What for you is the most effective solution?
and grow food.
• Water becoming scarce.
→ Climate change has dried up sources of fresh water or been
highly controlled by dams.
→ For drinking or for crops?
o Commodification of water makes it more inaccessible.
o Water bottles and plastic byproducts create pollution.

Health Effects
• Ecological crises have also affected the health of individuals.
(1) Heat Stroke
o Airconditioning for the rich and poor people suffer the
heat.
(2) Smog & Haze (e.g., China and India)
(3) Water borne Ailments.
o Dengue & Malaria due to flooding.
• A lot of these ailments disproportionately affect countries in the
south or developing countries.

ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS
• Capitalism is based on the perpetual need to expand in order to
accumulate profit (e.g., extraction of raw materials).
• Economic decoupling – refers to an economy that would be able
to grow without corresponding increases in environmental
pressure.
→ Economic growth does not entirely lead to the destruction
of the environment.
(1) Carbon Tax – tax on volume of emission.
(2) Cap & Trade – companies can emit to a certain point but
will need to buy more permits to emit more
o Price of the permit may be too low to be effective.
• Government still allows companies to emit gases which is not
enough.

Technological Solutions
• Proponents say that the technology to combat climate change
has not been invented yet.
• Technological solutions have some sort of environmental trade
off.
(1) Ethanol gas – alternate for gas made from corns.
o Drives up cost for corn.
o Might result to deforestation.
(2) Palm oil – prone to wild fires.
o Example: Indonesia has a lot of wild fire due to palm oil.
(3) Solar Power
o The precious resources used to make solar panels are
extracted through mining.

Population Control
• Advocates that large part of climate change is due to the massive
human population & their need to consume at high rate.
→ Human Population is currently at 8 billion.
• Birth control policies are being implemented.
→ Governments have been advertising the use of
contraceptives and family planning.
• Critics say that the policies are eugenicist and the problem lies
in the economy and not the humans.

Degrowth
• The main contributor the current ecological dilemma is the
economic system of capitalism that shapes how we produce and
consume goods.
• Capitalism needs to be reformed instead of creating more
policies.