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VICPolitics← Politics syllabus

Unit 3: Global cooperation and conflict

26 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

Area of Study 1: What makes an issue global?

the features that make an issue global in scale, and why global issues are significant for global actors

VCE Politics Unit 3 Area of Study 1 explainer on what makes an issue global: crossing borders, needing collective action, affecting many actors, and why global issues matter to states, institutions and non-state actors. Includes the four issues teachers may choose.

Area of Study 1: What are the causes of global issues?

the short-term causes of a global issue and the impact of global interconnectedness on it

VCE Politics Unit 3 explainer on the causes of global issues, the last 10 years focus on short-term causes, the range of social, political, economic, environmental, ideological, cultural and technological factors, and how interconnectedness spreads and shapes issues.

Area of Study 1: How can global issues be resolved?

the responses of states, institutions of global governance and non-state actors to a global issue, including cooperation, disengagement and conflict

VCE Politics Unit 3 explainer on how states, institutions of global governance, regional groupings and non-state actors respond to a global issue through cooperation, disengagement or conflict, and how to judge the effectiveness of those responses.

the effectiveness of international laws in addressing a global issue and the extent to which global actors respond effectively to those laws

VCE Politics Unit 3 explainer on international law as treaties, declarations, agreements and Security Council decisions, why compliance is voluntary, and how to judge the effectiveness of law in addressing a global issue, with recent examples.

Area of Study 1: What makes an issue global, and which global actors respond to global issues?

the types of global actors (states, regional groupings, institutions of global governance and non-state actors) and the perspectives and interests they bring to global issues and crises

Four types of global actor in the study design: states, regional groupings, institutions of global governance and non-state actors. Explains the aims, roles and power of each, with current examples such as the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Apple, and how they shape global politics.

Area of Study 1: How do institutions of global governance, including the United Nations, respond to global issues?

the role of the United Nations as an institution of global governance in responding to global issues and crises, and the limits on its effectiveness

United Nations. Explains its founding purposes, the six principal organs, the Security Council veto, and evaluates its effectiveness as a global actor, with current examples such as the deadlock over Ukraine, peacekeeping and humanitarian agencies.

Area of Study 1: What are the key challenges to the resolution of global issues?

the challenges to the resolution of a global issue, including different perspectives, competing interests, interconnectedness and the consequences for stability and change

VCE Politics Unit 3 explainer on the main challenges to resolving a global issue: differing perspectives, competing national interests, sovereignty, weak enforcement, resources and rivalry, and how unresolved issues drive political stability or change.

Area of Study 1: How do non-state actors such as non-government organisations respond to global issues?

the responses of non-government organisations as non-state actors to global issues and crises, and how effective they are

Non-government organisations. Explains their aims, roles and soft power, how they shape agendas, deliver aid and hold states to account, and evaluates their influence, with current examples such as Amnesty International, the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch.

Area of Study 1: How do non-state actors such as transnational corporations contribute to and respond to global issues?

the role of transnational corporations as non-state actors in causing and responding to global issues, and their influence relative to states

Transnational corporations. Explains their aims, roles and economic and structural power, how they influence states and global politics, and evaluates their reach relative to states, with current examples such as Apple, Saudi Aramco and the major technology firms.

Area of Study 1: Climate change as a global issue

climate change as one of the four permitted global issues: short-term causes, responses of global actors, the effectiveness of international law and challenges to resolution

VCE Politics Unit 3 case page for climate change: recent causes, responses by states, institutions and non-state actors, the Paris Agreement and COP30, the 2025 ICJ advisory opinion, and the challenges that stop effective global resolution.

Area of Study 1: Global economic instability as a global issue

global economic instability as one of the four permitted global issues: recent causes, interconnectedness, responses of states and institutions, and challenges to resolution

VCE Politics Unit 3 case page for global economic instability: recent shocks, trade tensions and tariffs, interdependence, responses by states, the IMF, WTO and G20, and why coordination is hard when national interests diverge.

Area of Study 1: Development as a global issue

development as one of the four permitted global issues: causes of slow progress, the Sustainable Development Goals, responses of global actors and challenges to resolution

VCE Politics Unit 3 case page for development: the Sustainable Development Goals, why progress has stalled, aid and debt, responses of states, the UN and NGOs, and challenges including inequality, illiberalism and great-power rivalry.

Area of Study 1: Weapons of mass destruction as a global issue

weapons of mass destruction as one of the four permitted global issues: recent causes, arms control treaties, responses of states and institutions, and challenges to resolution

VCE Politics Unit 3 case page for weapons of mass destruction: nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, the NPT and other treaties, the 2026 expiry of New START, Iran and North Korea, non-state actor risks and why arms control struggles.

Area of Study 2: How does state sovereignty shape contemporary crises and the responses to them?

the state and its sovereignty as the starting point for understanding why crises that begin inside one state draw in other actors, and how sovereignty limits or enables responses

State and sovereignty. Defines statehood and its four characteristics, explains internal and external sovereignty, and assesses how globalisation, intervention and supranational bodies challenge state sovereignty, with current examples such as Russia, China and the European Union.

Area of Study 2: How can we understand the nature of contemporary humanitarian crises?

the nature of a contemporary humanitarian crisis, its short-term causes, the perspectives and interests of actors, and a framework for analysing responses

VCE Politics Unit 3 Area of Study 2 explainer giving a framework for analysing any humanitarian crisis: scale and cross-border effects, causes, actors' perspectives and interests, processes of diplomacy and law, challenges, effectiveness and stability or change.

Area of Study 2: To what extent is it possible to identify and address the causes of humanitarian crises?

a human rights crisis as one of the three permitted crises, the causes of violations, the perspectives of actors and the effectiveness of responses

VCE Politics Unit 3 case page for human rights crises: universality and international human rights law, recent causes, the Rohingya and Afghanistan as examples, the UN, ICJ and ICC, regional groupings, NGOs, and why enforcement is difficult.

Area of Study 2: To what extent can global actors cooperate to manage conflicts?

armed conflict as one of the three permitted crises: causes in sovereignty, territory and identity, the interests of actors, diplomacy, law and the effectiveness of responses

VCE Politics Unit 3 case page for armed conflict: contested sovereignty and territory, the war in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza as recent examples, Security Council limits, diplomacy and international law, and how to judge effectiveness.

the role of regional groupings such as the European Union, ASEAN, the African Union and the Pacific Islands Forum in resolving crises, and the drivers of conflict and cooperation

VCE Politics Unit 3 explainer on regional groupings as global actors: the EU, ASEAN, the African Union and the Pacific Islands Forum, how they respond to crises, their strengths in legitimacy and proximity, and limits such as non-interference and weak enforcement.

Area of Study 2: What are the key challenges to resolving these crises and what might be the drivers for change?

the mass movement of people as one of the three permitted crises: causes, the perspectives of states, institutions and NGOs, international law and the balance of national interests with humanitarian obligations

VCE Politics Unit 3 case page for the mass movement of people: UNHCR figures, causes such as conflict and discrimination, the Refugee Convention and global compacts, cases from Sudan, Ukraine and the Rohingya, and the tension between sovereignty and humanitarian obligations.

Area of Study 2: Skills: constructing an evaluative argument from sources

the skill of constructing an argument to evaluate the effectiveness of global actors' responses, using evidence from sources, for global issues and contemporary crises

VCE Politics Unit 3 skills guide to constructing an evaluative argument from sources: claim, criteria, evidence, source analysis, counter-argument and judgement, with a worked paragraph and a checklist for school-based tasks and the end-of-year exam.

How has China risen as a power in the Asia-Pacific, what national interests drive it, and how effectively does it use its instruments of power?

China as a rising power in the Asia-Pacific, its national interests and the instruments of power it uses, and an evaluation of its growing regional influence

China as a rising power. Examines its national interests, its economic, military and diplomatic instruments of power, the Belt and Road Initiative and maritime assertiveness, and evaluates its growing influence in the Asia-Pacific, with current examples.

What instruments of foreign policy do states use to pursue their national interests, and how do they choose between diplomacy, economic tools and force?

the instruments of foreign policy used by states to pursue national interests, including diplomacy, trade and economic measures, and military force, and how states select between them

Instruments of foreign policy. Explains how states use diplomacy, trade and economic measures, aid and military force to pursue national interests, how they choose between instruments, and the strengths and limits of each, with current examples.

What national interests drive the United States in the Asia-Pacific, what instruments of power does it use, and how effectively does it sustain its regional position against a rising China?

the United States as an established power in the Asia-Pacific, its national interests and instruments of power, and an evaluation of its ability to maintain its regional position

United States in the Asia-Pacific. Examines its national interests, its military, alliance and economic instruments of power, the free and open Indo-Pacific strategy, and evaluates its ability to maintain its regional position against a rising China.

What are the different types of power that global actors use, and how effective is each as an instrument for pursuing national interests?

the forms of power used by states and other global actors, including political, economic, military, diplomatic and cultural power, and their effectiveness (hard, soft and smart power is optional vocabulary)

Types of power. Explains the study design's five forms of power (political, economic, military, diplomatic and cultural), treats hard, soft and smart power as optional vocabulary, and assesses the effectiveness of each instrument with current examples such as the United States, China and Russia.

What are national interests, how are they categorised, and how do states pursue them in contemporary global politics?

the meaning of national interests, including security, economic prosperity, regional relationships and regional standing, and how states define and pursue them

National interests (Unit 4 in the current design). Defines national interests and explains the four interests in the study design, security, economic prosperity, regional relationships and regional standing, how states prioritise them, and how interests can clash, using current examples.

Who are the major actors in the Asia-Pacific, what national interests drive them, and how do their pursuits of power create cooperation and conflict?

the national interests of major Asia-Pacific actors and the ways their pursuit of power leads to cooperation, competition and conflict in the region

Power in the Asia-Pacific. Examines the national interests of the United States, China, Japan and Australia, regional flashpoints such as the South China Sea and Taiwan, and how the pursuit of power drives cooperation, competition and conflict.