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October 2005
Capital District Roundtable
Citizenship in the
World
Chris D Garvin
Roundtable Commissioner
OUTLINE
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Introduction
Merit Badges
Teacher’s Guide
Sources
Questions
Featured Link:
http://www.usscouts.org/advance/Documents.html
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Advancement Documents
Cub Scouting
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Introduction
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Alien: n. 1. A foreigner. 2. A person living in a country but not a
citizen of it.
Citizen: n. A person who is a member of a country or state either
because of being born there or having been made a member by law.
Citizens have certain duties to their country and are entitled to
certain rights.
Citizenship: n. The condition of being a citizen; also, the rights and
duties of a citizen [Citizenship includes the right to vote and the
duty to serve on a jury.]
Citizenship Test
Merit Badges
Merit Badges
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Citizenship in the World Merit Badge
 Personal Development Merit Badge Group
Source
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www.meritbadge.com/home.htm
Learning Worksheet
Test Your Knowledge
Teacher’s Guide
Requirement 1
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What is citizenship? How does one become a citizen in the United
States? How does one become a citizen in other countries?
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Citizenship is a form of "membership" in a particular country. In the
United States, one is either born an American citizen (because one or
both parents were citizens, or because the birth took place on
American land) or becomes naturalized later in life. In some countries,
racial and religious criteria are used.
What rights, duties, and obligations does American citizenship
entail? How are these similar to or different from the way
citizenship is experienced in two other countries?
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American citizens have a number of rights, such as freedom of speech,
the right to bear arms, due process and religion (most of these rights
also apply to non-citizens) and are also taxed in order to provide money
for essential services. Other duties of American citizens might include
obeying laws and voting.
Requirement 2
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Discuss the concept of national interest.
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A country's national interest is simply what it desires. Just like a
thirsty man desires water, a desert country does likewise, and the
control and maintenance of water is thus an example of a national
interest. Some national interests, like water and border control, are
universal and shared by all or nearly all countries. Others are dependent
on the governments' goals, and may include conquest, diplomatic success
and regional goals.
Explain how a country's security, economy, and values relate to its
national interest.
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National sovereignty, or the ability to exist with stable boundaries, is
perhaps the most important national interest of any country. Security
is very important, and all countries are either capable of defending
themselves (perhaps relying on allies) from hostile neighbors or are
prioritizing that goal. The economy drives the ability of the government
to accomplish goals, and so it is also an important component of national
interests. Many countries attempt to correct injustices abroad, such as
by removing a dictator from power.
Requirement 3
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Explain how communications and transportation have changed
relationships between countries
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Communications: Communication is important to commerce because
people need to communicate to trade. For example, the seller needs to
advertise the products for sale. The purchaser and seller need to agree
on price. The purchaser sends the requested money, and the seller
sends the item. Improvements in communication speed up this process.
Transportation: Before the 1800's, transportation was slow. People had
to walk, ride horses, or sail on ships to get around. In the mid 1800's,
railroads and steamships appeared. The early cars and airplanes were
invented in the early 1900's. Nowadays, we have more sophisticated
cars, airplanes, and trains such as mag-lev. The net effect of these
improvements of transportation is speed and increased capacity. These
changes improved commerce and the ability to move military troops and
equipment.
Explain how changing national interests, democratic values, and
global economic partnerships are affecting the relationships
between countries .
Requirement 4
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Tell how the geography, natural resources, and climate of a
country affect its economy.
Using a map of the world, select two countries. Describe how
geography, natural resources, and climate are important in
defining each country's national interest. Explain how these
interests affect relations with at least two other countries.
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The national interests of a country are often very complex, and
hinge on multiple factors involving geography, natural resources
and climate, as well as social values, security issues and
concerns regarding foreign countries.
Geography can affect a country's national resources through
several ways. A country's shape can dictate its national
interest.
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Canada has reasons to reject Quebecois independence on national
sovereignty grounds, but the province of Quebec is especially
important. Without it, Canada is divided into two, non-contiguous
regions.
Requirement 4 (continued)
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Nearly all countries have some kind of natural resources. It is always in
the best interest of the producers of a product (for example oil) to
keep prices and demand high.
 Saudi Arabia has large deposits of oil, and few other natural
resources. Without a worldwide demand for oil, the Saudi economy
would collapse.
Because all countries need food and water, climate is extremely
important. Without adequate rain, for example, agriculture can not
occur and food will have to be imported. Weather can also have
debilitating effects on trade, both within and outside the boundaries of
country.
 It is often said that much of Russia's history is based on a search
for "warm-weather ports" (i.e. a city from which ships could sail
year round, rather than being frozen solid much of the time)
Requirement 4 (continued)
Saudi Arabia
Requirement 4 (continued)
Cause
Geography
Middle-East
National interest
Affected foreign relations
To maintain friendly relations with
Muslim neighbors
To encourage the growth of friendly
governments in the region.
Popular support indicates need to ally with
Palestinian allies like Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
General political and social upheaval in the area
can ignite Saudi dissidents, thus support for
stable governments in neighbors Yemen and Iraq
are important.
Natural
Resources
Oil
To keep the price of oil high
To keep the demand for oil high
To ensure the continued worldwide
need for oil.
Need to continue exporting oil requires friendly
relations with Western countries like the US, UK
and Australia
Must maintain support of other oil-producing
countries like Venezuela and Kuwait a an integral
part of OPEC
Climate
Dry
To keep water flowing from the few
sources within the country
To maintain friendly relations with
countries that export food
Must monitor environmental degradation of
fresh water sources, which can be contaminated
by actions in neighbors like Kuwait and Iraq
Requirement 5
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Explain international law and how it differs from national law. What
role does international law perform in the international system?
Describe how international law can be used as a tool for conflict
resolution.
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A state is ordinarily said to be sovereign - i.e. capable of enforcing its
own laws on its own territory, and only on its own territory (for
example, American laws do not apply in France, even if the people
involved are all American). International law is a relatively recent
invention, and concerns agreements between countries in pacts called
treaties. International law can enforce standards (such as standardized
weights and measures for the purposes of trade) and proscribe conduct
according to treaties concerning human rights. With international
organizations enforcing these treaties, often ineffectively, but also
often with great success, countries whose governments ignore human
rights treaties can be dealt with by multi-national alliances, who are
perceived as having more legitimacy if a broken human rights treaty can
be blamed.
Requirement 5 (continued)
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Select two of the following global issues and explain how they
have been affected by international agreements and treaties:
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Environmentalism
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See Kyoto Protocol, United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea,
Endangered Species Act
Terrorism
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See Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
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See General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
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See World Anti-Doping Agency
International trade
Communications
Transportation
Famine Relief
Disease Control
International sports
Requirement 5 (continued)
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Select TWO of the following organizations and describe
their role in the international system:
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The United Nations www.un.org/
The World Court en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Court
World Organization of the Scout Movement www.scout.org
The World Health Organization www.who.int/en/
Amnesty International www.amnesty.org/
The International Red Cross www.icrc.org/eng
Americas Watch
CARE www.care.org/
Requirement 6
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Explain to your counselor what is meant by:
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International trade agreement
Foreign Exchange - Ways to adjust how countries pay their
debts to one another
Balance of Payments - A measure of the payments that flow
from one country to another. It is determined by a
country's exports and imports of goods, services, and
financial capital, as well as financial transfers.
Tariffs-A schedule of prices or fees
Free Trade-Trade between nations without protective
customs tariffs
Explain how world trade and global competition affect the
economy of your state and your community.
Requirement 6 (continued)
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Locate the listing of foreign currency exchange rates in the
financial section of the newspaper. Select three major foreign
currencies and explain the rates of exchange between these
currencies and the American dollar.
Select a foreign currency and price a product in that currency.
Explain how fluctuations in currency exchange rates affect the
price of that product if you are exporting it from the United
States. Explain how fluctuations in currency exchange rates affect
the price of that product if you are importing it into the United
States.
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Interactive Currency Table http://www.xe.com/ict/
Requirement 7
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Discuss the differences between constitutional and nonconstitutional governments.
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Constitutional governments have a written document stating their laws,
rights and responsibilities. It must also be limited in power, follow a
higher law, and have constitutional stability.
Nonconstitutional governments are dictatorships and absolute
monarchies. Totalitarian and Authoritarian are the two types of
nonconstitutional governments. In an authoritarian government, the
power to make decisions is in the hands of one person or a small group.
Totalitarian government is another form of authoritarian in which the
government controls every aspect of society.
Name at least five different types of government currently in
power in the world.
Show on a world map countries that use each of these five
different forms of government.
Requirement 8
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Explain how a government is represented abroad. How is the United States
government accredited to international organizations?
Describe the roles of the following in the conduct of foreign relations:
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Ambassador : is a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as
representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific
length of time. They are a diplomatic official heading his or her country's permanent mission to
certain international organizations; such as the United Nations; and are a authorized
representative of a nation to deliver their nations messages and protect the national interest
of the nation they represent through diplomatic means.
Consul : is an official appointed by a government to reside in a Foreign country to represent the
commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country as well as provide assistance to
Americans traveling abroad.
United States Information Agency : is an independent foreign affairs agency supporting U.S.
foreign policy and national interests abroad, USIA conducts international educational and
cultural exchanges, broadcasting, and information programs.
Agency for International Development : are represented in a multitude of nations. These
agencies promote goodwill by contributing to resolve international and national crisis's by
providing aid to these nations. In 2005, the efforts are continued and prominent in efforts to
provide relief for the tsunami victims in the Indonesian areas.
Foreign Commercial Service : is an organization built to assist nations in strengthening
economic ties. This service provides any legal commercial business to find other legal
commercial businesses to trade, manufacture, or grow through their relationship together. For
example, the FCS could find a manufacturer abroad to make it possible for your business to
have minimal expenses for maximum profit.
Requirement 8 (continued)
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Explain the purpose of a passport and visa for international
travel.
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The purpose of a passport is to allow citizens of their identified
country to receive foreign passage (denied in some cases). The
documentation allows both the nation granting passage and the nation of
the citizen to be informed of their international activity. This could
protect and benefit nations by preventing criminals from entering or
exiting their control. The passport also grants them access to
embassies of their nation to guarantee them the rights they are
entitled to while in foreign lands. A visa is needed if a citizens wishes to
live or work in a different nation. There are many types of visas and
they differ from nation to nation but a visa is usually document that
grants an individual the ability to work or live in a selected country. The
visa is given by the nation that the individual is requesting to work or
live in, and the nation may have some terms of agreement most likely
for taxation purposes.
Requirement 9
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Attend a world jamboree.
Take part in an international event in your area.
Visit with a foreign exchange student and discuss his or her
country and customs.
Study a foreign language for a year.
Write an embassy or consulate for material about its
country and discuss the material with your counselor.
Examine a particular international issue and give a brief oral
presentation and a written report to your counselor.
Requirement 9: World Jamboree
Sources
Sources
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Department of State
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Digital Diplomacy for Students
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http://www.cwis.org/wwwvl/indig-vl.html
The Citizenship in the World Page
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http://www.un.org/
Virtual Library: Indigenous Studies
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http://www.xe.com/ict/
The United Nations
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http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
Interactive Currency Table
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http://www.state.gov/www/digital_diplomacy/index.html
The CIA World Factbook
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http://www.state.gov/
http://www.spsu.edu/cteacad/newell/Scouts/
Wiki Books
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http://en.wikibooks.org/
November 2005
Capital District Roundtable
QUESTIONS?
Capital District Roundtable
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Chris D Garvin
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[email protected]
(Home) 890-9537
(Cell)
890-3222
Roundtable Archive and Info
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www.hillviewscouting.org/~capital_rndtbl/index.htm