Tennessee World Affairs Council What in the World? Weekly Quiz – January 3-9, 2022

President Biden and President Putin talked on Thursday about the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s threat to invade, with the US side threatening sanctions and the Russian side threatening sanctions would be a grave error and risked a “rupture” of relations. WHAT’S next?  (#WACquiz)

The military, which staged a coup in THIS country in February, has returned to massacres and scorched-earth tactics, according to APNews, in efforts to put down growing opposition. They have destroyed entire villages where opposition support was strong, reprising tactics used against the Muslim minority Rohingyas several years ago (#WACquiz)

China’s “Zero-Covid” policy is taking a toll on THIS city as heavy restrictions and quarantine mandates have led to a “brain drain” of expats in the business sector and resignations and hub shutdowns among pilots and air carriers. Covid measures on top of a political crackdown have taken the luster off this global business center (#WACquiz)

Satellites operated by THIS group caused near misses with China’s space station according to a complaint filed with the United Nations. They have orbited over 1,900 satellites to provide Internet service. (#WACquiz)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of THIS country, has fueled an economic crisis by his approach to fighting inflation. Instead of boosting interest rates he has pushed the Central Bank to cut rates by five percent, a policy The Economist called “his ludicrous belief that higher rates cause inflation.” (#WACquiz)

The threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is made more credible by previous assaults. In 2014 Russian forces occupied and annexed Crimea and in 2008 the Russian Army moved into the South Ossetia region of THIS former Soviet republic and neighbor. (#WACquiz)

The 2022 Winter Olympics set for Beijing next month may run headlong into Covid restrictions by the host country. An early indication was the withdrawal of THIS sports league from the Olympics due to a surge in Covid infections among players and the prospect of lengthy quarantines of players who test positive while in China (#WACquiz)

France said last week’s satellite rocket launch by THIS country was “regrettable” especially given the progress being made in talks in Vienna to revive the Joint Plan of Action and Milestones (JCPOA). (#WACquiz)