JAMB Government Past Questions & Answers - Page 174

A principal defect of the Commonwealth is lack of commitment among member states. For instance some member states find it difficult to pay their dues while some belong to other organizations to which they pay more allegiance. For example, Britain is a member of the European Economic Community (E.E.C)

The African Union was established to consolidate Africa's position in global politics

An essential principle that guides the activities of the United Nations is respect for the sovereign equality of member states.

This Stands to reason that all the member states of the United Nations are sovereign and equal. No state will be too big to dominate others and no state would be too small to be recognized.

A hindrance to the democratization of the United Nations is Resistance of the big powers.

It is the five permanent members of the Security Council that is usually referred to as the big powers. The big five are as follows:

1. U.S.A
2. Britain
3. Russia
4. China and
5. France.

Each of the five permanent members of this Security Council has a veto power. In most cases this could be used to satisfy their respective selfish interest at the expense of fulfilling the objectives of the Organization. The United Nations has in most cases proved helpless in cases of aggression involving big powers . For example America invaded Vietnam and Iraq. The defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) also once invaded Afghanistan but nothing was done by the United Nations Organization in each case. Again the United Nation's Power of sanction is often ignored by member states especially the big powers. For instance, when economic sanction was placed on a country such as in South Africa during the period of apartheid policy, some member states such as Britain still traded with the country.

So it should be clearly realized that the veto power and permanent status of some member states in the Security Council is highly discriminatory and undemocratic.

Kari Marx was one of the greatest advocates of Socialism.

Socialism may be defined as a social, economic and political system in which the state owns and controls the means of production, exchange and distribution of goods and services. The main aim of Socialism is to ensure equal distribution of the nation's wealth.

Countries that practice this economic system (known as the Second World)
Include:

1. Russia

2. Caechoslovakia

3. Bulgaria

4. China

5. Cuba

6. Romania

7. Albania

8. Poland

9. The German Democratic Republic.

Some African countries that have also practised this system at one time or the other include:

1. Tanzania

2. Ethiopia

3. Angola

4. Burkina Faso

5. Guinea

6. Mozambique etc.

Socialist economy is based on the central planning of all economic activities as opposed to the capitalist market price mechanism otherwise called capitalism.

Kari Marx, a German (1818 - 1883) was the founder and propounder of modern socialism.

The collaborator of Kari Marx in developing modern socialism was Friedrich Engels (1882-1895).

Vladimer Lenin led his Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party (now known as the Communist Party of Russia) to carry out the Socialist Revolution. That was in 1917 in the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR)