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VICPolitics

Unit 3: Global actors

11 dot points across 11 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

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
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on 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.
6 min answer →

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
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on the 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.
6 min answer →

Who are the key global actors and what aims, roles and power do they bring to contemporary global politics?

the key global actors of contemporary global politics (states, intergovernmental organisations, transnational corporations and non-state actors) and their aims, roles and power
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on the four key global actors: states, intergovernmental organisations, transnational corporations and non-state actors. Explains the aims, roles and power of each, with current examples such as the United States, the United Nations, Apple and Hamas, and how they shape global politics.
6 min answer →

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 and the pursuit of values, and how states define and pursue them
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on national interests. Defines national interests and explains the three categories of security, economic prosperity and the pursuit of values, how states prioritise them, and how interests can clash, using current examples such as the United States, China and Australia.
6 min answer →

What are non-government organisations, what aims, roles and power do they hold, and how effectively do they influence states and other global actors?

the aims, roles and power of non-government organisations as key non-state actors, and an evaluation of their influence in contemporary global politics
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on 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.
6 min answer →

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
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on 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.
6 min answer →

What is a state, why is sovereignty central to it, and how is state sovereignty challenged in contemporary global politics?

the concept of the state, the characteristics of statehood and the meaning and significance of sovereignty for states in contemporary global politics
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on the 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.
6 min answer →

What is the United Nations, what are its purposes and principal organs, and how effective is it as a global actor in contemporary global politics?

the role, purposes and principal organs of the United Nations as a key intergovernmental organisation, and an evaluation of its effectiveness in contemporary global politics
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on the 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.
6 min answer →

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
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on the 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.
6 min answer →

What are transnational corporations, what aims, roles and power do they hold, and how far do they rival states as global actors?

the aims, roles and power of transnational corporations as key global actors, and an evaluation of their influence relative to states
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on 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.
6 min answer →

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

the different types of power used by global actors, including military, economic, diplomatic and cultural (hard, soft and smart) power, and their effectiveness
A VCE Politics Unit 3 answer on types of power. Explains military, economic, diplomatic and cultural power, the hard, soft and smart power framework, and assesses the effectiveness of each instrument with current examples such as the United States, China and Russia.
6 min answer →