This is not a test. For marks.

After our class(es) on the European Union, we will have an in-class evaluation. Individually, students will be answering questions and handing it in at the end of the period.

There will be 4 questions:

1 - Regarding statehood (being a state)
2 - Regarding political ideologies (conservatism, etc.)
3 - Regarding the United Nations
4 - Regarding international summits and the European Union

Students will be required to answer any 3 of these 4 questions (meaning you can select 1 of the 4 to NOT answer). I will then evaluate your answers.

That was not a test. For marks.

Resources:

Vatican City

Background:

Vatican City State was established in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri, on behalf of Pope Pius XI and by Prime Minister and Head of Government Benito Mussolini on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.

Vatican City State issues normal passports.

The Lateran Treaty in 1929, which brought the city-state into existence, spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870) that had previously encompassed much of central Italy.

Territory:

The name "Vatican" predates Christianity and comes from the Latin Mons Vaticanus, meaning Vatican Mount.^[19] The territory of Vatican City is part of the Mons Vaticanus, and of the adjacent former Vatican Fields. It is in this territory that St. Peter's Basilica, the Apostolic Palace, the Sistine Chapel, and museums were built, along with various other buildings.

Population:

Almost all of Vatican City's 826 citizens either live inside the Vatican's walls or serve in the Holy See's diplomatic service in embassies around the world. The Vatican citizenry consists almost entirely of two groups: clergy, most of whom work in the service of the Holy See, and a very few as officials of the state; and the Swiss Guard. Most of the 2,400 lay workers who comprise the majority of the Vatican workforce reside outside the Vatican and are citizens of Italy, while a few are citizens of other nations.

Government:

The politics of Vatican City takes place in an absolute elective monarchy, in which the head of the Roman Catholic Church takes power. The Pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over the State of Vatican City, which is a rare case of a non-hereditary monarchy.
Vatican City is currently the only widely recognised independent state that has not become a member of the UN.
Foreign Relations:
Vatican City State is a recognised national territory under international law, but it is the Holy See that conducts diplomatic relations on its behalf, in addition to the Holy See's own diplomacy, entering into international agreements in its regard. The Vatican City State thus has no diplomatic service of its own. Because of space limitations, Vatican City is one of the few countries in the world that is unable to host embassies.

Taiwan (Republic of China)

Background:

Officially called the Republic of China, Taiwan is a state in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China now governs the island of Taiwan. Neighboring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east and northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taipei is the capital city and economic and cultural center of the country, while New Taipei is the most populous city.

The Republic of China was established in mainland China in 1912 and governed varying amounts of territory in mainland China until 1949. At the end of World War II in 1945, Japan surrendered Taiwan and associated islands to ROC forces. Following the Chinese civil war, the Communist forces took full control of mainland China and founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 – the ROC resettled its government to Taiwan. Since the founding of the PRC, international recognition of the ROC has gradually eroded as most countries switched recognition to the PRC. In 1971, the PRC assumed China's seat at the United Nations. Only 22 UN member states and the Holy See currently recognize the ROC as a sovereign state and maintain formal diplomatic relations with it, though it has informal ties with many other states via Taipei Representative Office.

Population:

Taiwan's population was estimated in 2012 at 23,261,747, most of whom are on the island of Taiwan. The remainder live on Penghu (97,724), Kinmen (108,147) and the Matsu Islands (10,253).

Government:

The government of the Republic of China was founded on the Constitution of the ROC and its Three Principles of the People, which states that the ROC "shall be a democratic republic of the people, to be governed by the people and for the people.” The government is divided into five administrative branches (Yuan): the Executive Yuan (cabinet), the Legislative Yuan, the Judicial Yuan, the Control Yuan (audit agency), and the Examination Yuan (civil service examination agency).

Foreign Relations:

Officially, the ROC government has claimed sovereignty over all of "China", in a definition that includes mainland China and Mongolia, as well as Taiwan, but has not made retaking mainland China a political goal since 1992. Meanwhile, the PRC also officially asserts itself to be the sole legal representation of China and actively claims Taiwan to be under its sovereignty, denying the status and existence of ROC as a sovereign state. It has threatened the use of military force as a response to any formal declaration of Taiwanese independence, or if it deems peaceful reunification no longer possible.

Kosovo

Background:

The Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognised state in Southeastern Europe. Its largest city and capital is Pristina. Kosovo is landlocked and borders the Republic of Macedonia to the south, Albania to the west and Montenegro to the northwest – all three states recognising the Republic of Kosovo. The remainder of Kosovo's frontier to the north and east is the subject of a dispute with Serbia.
On 17 February 2008 Kosovo's Parliament declared independence, as the "Republic of Kosovo", which has received partial recognition. Serbia and a number of other countries do not recognise the unilateral secession of Kosovo and consider it a UN-governed province within its sovereign territory.
Population:
According to the Kosovo in Figures 2005 Survey of the Statistical Office of Kosovo, Kosovo's total population is estimated between 1.9 and 2.2 million. The most common language of Kosovo is Albanian, the first language of 88–92% of the population. The two main religions of Kosovo are Islam and Christianity. Muslims make up 90% of Kosovo's population.
Government:
Kosovo declared independence on 17 February 2008 and over the following days, a number of states (the United States, Turkey, Albania, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Australia, Poland and others) announced their recognition, despite protests by Russia and others in the UN. As of 1 June 2012, 91 UN states recognise the independence of Kosovo and it has become a member country of the IMF and World Bank as the Republic of Kosovo.
The government of the Republic of Kosovo is defined under the 2008 Constitution of Kosovo as a multi-party parliamentary representative democratic republic. Legislative power is vested in both the Assembly of Kosovo and the ministers within their competencies. The President of Kosovo is the head of state and represents the "unity of the people". The Executive of Kosovo exercises the executive power and is composed of the Prime Minister of Kosovo as the head of government, the deputy prime ministers, and the ministers of the various ministries. The legal system is composed of an independent judiciary composed of the Supreme Court and subordinate courts, a Constitutional Court, and an independent prosecutorial institution.
Foreign Relations:
Currently 19 countries maintain embassies in the Republic of Kosovo. As of 1 June 2012, 91 countries recognise Republic of Kosovo as independent. Enver Hoxhaj is Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo.

Palestine

Background:
Palestine, officially declared as the State of Palestine, is a state that was proclaimed in exile in Algiers on 15 November 1988, when the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) National Council (PNC) adopted the unilateral Palestinian Declaration of Independence. At the time of the 1988 declaration, the PLO did not exercise control over any territory, and its claimed territory remains under Israeli occupation. It claims the Palestinian territories and has designated Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
The 1974 Arab League summit designated the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed their right to establish an independent state of urgency." The PLO has had observer status at the United Nations as a "non-state entity" since 22 November 1974, which entitles it to speak in the UN General Assembly but not to vote.
As of 18 January 2012, 130 (67.4%) of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognised the State of Palestine. Many of the countries that do not recognise the State of Palestine nevertheless recognise the PLO as the "representative of the Palestinian people". In addition the PLO's executive committee is empowered by the PNC to perform the functions of government of the State of Palestine.
Population:
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) estimated Palestinians at mid year 2009 as 10.7 million persons as follows: 3.9 million in the Palestinian Territory (36.6%), 1.2 million (11.5%) in Israel; 5.0 million in Arab countries (46.2%), 0.6 million in foreign countries (5.7%).
Foreign Relations:

There are a wide variety of views regarding the status of the State of Palestine, both among the states of the international community and among legal scholars. The existence of a state of Palestine, although controversial, is nonetheless a reality in the opinions of the many states that have established bilateral diplomatic relations.

After a two-year impasse in negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian Authority sought to gain recognition as a state according to its 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital from the UN General Assembly in September 2011. A successful application for membership in the UN would require approval from the UN Security Council and a two-thirds majority in the UN General Assembly. On the prospect of this being successful, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice alluded to a potential U.S. government withdrawal of UN funding.

L.C. Green explained that "recognition of statehood is a matter of discretion, it is open to any existing state to accept as a state any entity it wishes, regardless of the existence of territory or an established government."