HCI H2 Hist Prelim P1

HISTORY 9731/01 PAPER 1 International History c.1945-2000 27 August 2008 3.0 hours Additional Materials: Answer Paper READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name and CT on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Answer four questions. You must answer Question 1 (Section A) and any three questions from Section B. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together. All questions in this paper carry equal marks. HWA CHONG INSTITUTION College 2 Preliminary Examination 2008 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Higher 2 This document consists 4 printed pages. HWA CHONG INSTITUTION [Turn over 1

Section A You must answer Question 1. The United Nations and Human Rights 1 Read the sources and then answer the question. Source A The United Nations has been crucial to the promotion of human right s, largely through the setting through treaties. This role is logical, given that t he UN is the only global intergovernmental organisation to define universal human rights. Global rights treaties can be developed outside the UN, as shown by the development of humanitarian law- with the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) serving as drafting secretariat and the Swiss government serving as convenor of diplomatic conferences. Yet, the UN has provided a crucial contribution by spec ifying standards. The UN’s other promotional work, such as its educational and technical assistance activities in the field of rights, has been less prominent. This does not mean that these activities are not important or should be expanded. An excerpt taken from an academic text on the subject published in 2001. Source B Unfortunately, the states which founded the UN did not recognise that this could only be done if a system was established for effective examination of the human rights situation within individual states, ra ther than talking in general terms and issuing pious declarations. This required a sacrifice of sovereignty which few of them were willing to contemplate. They created t herefore a system in which the UN was responsible mainly for enunciating general principles in this field, rather than securing any assurance that those principles would be actually fulfilled. This was to prove, at least for the first twenty- five years, a fatal weakness of the system. An excerpt taken from an academic text on the subject published in 1979. Source C The greatest work done for human rights in our generation is that of the human rights organisations in tandem with UN Human Rights Commission. Organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have kept the banner of human rights flying high. They have scrutinised, reported on, exposed and la mbasted the various human rights abuses of first and third world count ries, revealing these crimes to the international community, inviting univers al condemnation of, and action against, the offending countries. Without these watc hdogs, human rights would have been a non starter. Amnesty International, press release, 1990. 2

Source D It is common knowledge that US aid to Latin America has flowed heavily to some of the worst violators of human rights. Our unabashed support of the military junta in Chile was, in fact, the single most important case for focusing public attention on the problem of US complicity with governments that were grossly violating human rights. In other countries too, such as Brazil, Argentina an d Guatemala, where r eports of human rights conditions have been most depressing, it tu rns out that the US relations with the governments of these countries have been very friendly, and t hey are at the top of the list of recipients of our bilateral economic and military assistance in Latin America. A report from American political thinkers on Human rights and US foreign policy, 1979. Source E The UN record in dealing with human rights must be assessed in relation to the capacity of international organisation to affect the conduct of states in this sensitive area. States, not international agencies, are the primary guarantors of individual rights. Unlike sovereign states, the United Nati ons has no courts of its own to hear the complaints of individuals. Even the international court of Justice permits only states to be parties to contentious cases brought before it. If a violation is found, the United Nations has no means of providing redress other than negotiation, censure, or in extreme case s, the levying of sanctions. The Charter authorizes economic and military sanctions only in cases of threats to peace and security, the consensus required them to use them has, until recently, seldom existed. An excerpt from a book on the United Nations, 2005. Now answer the following question: How far do Sources A to E show that the UN was effective in upholding human rights from 1945 to 2000? [Turn over 3

Section B You must answer three questions from this section. 1 “The Soviet initiative school of thought was the most balanced explanation for the end of the Cold War from 1980 to 1991.” How far do you agree with this statement? 2 How far do you agree that the setting up of international organizations from 1945 to 2000 have actually brought greater economic development for the third world countries? 3 By the 1980s, the American dominance of the international economy had almost disappeared.” How far was this due to over reliance on Middle Eastern Oil? 4 “ It was primarily because of Israel’s provocative actions that aggravated the Arab Israeli conflict from 1948 to 2000.”How far do you agree with this statement? 5 “The conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir up till 1999 was a dispute because of essentially different political systems.” How far do you agree with this statement? 4