INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS – QUESTÕES DE CONCURSO PÚBLICOS – LÍNGUA INGLESA – http://www.inglesparaconcursos.blog.br/.

Welcome back to another post!

➧ INSTRUÇÃO: Text to answer questions from 01 to 03.

Since 1914 the structure of the world has changed. Compared to the present struggle between West and East, the rivalries of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries sink into insignificance. Today we are faced, not with a clash of interests, but with a fight between the desire on the one hand to defend individual liberties and the resolve on the other hand to impose a mass religion. In the process the old standards, conventions and methods of international negotiation have been discredited. Had it not been for the invention of the atomic bomb, we should already have been subjected to a third world war.

Members of the Communist bloc today are convinced that sooner or later they will acquire world dominion and will succeed in imposing their faith and their authority over the whole earth. They strain towards this objective with religious intensity and are prepared to devote to its achievement their lives, their comfort and their prospects of happiness. Anything that furthers their purpose is “right”; anything that obstructs it is “wrong”; conventional morality, even the creation of confidence, has no part in this scheme of things. Truth itself has lost its significance. Compared to the shining truth of their gospel, all minor forms of veracity are merely bourgeois inhibitions. The old diplomacy was based upon the creation of confidence, the acquisition of credit. The modern diplomat must realize that he can no longer rely on the old system of trust; he must accept the fact that his antagonists will not hesitate to falsify facts and that they feel no shame if their duplicity be exposed. The old currency has been withdrawn from circulation; we are dealing in a new coinage.

This transformation of values has been aided by a new or “democratic” conception of international relations. In the old days the conduct of foreign affairs was entrusted to a small international élite who shared the same sort of background and who desired to preserve the same sort of world. Today the masses are expected to take an interest in foreign affairs, to know the details of current controversies, to come to their own conclusions, and to render these conclusions effective through press and parliament. At the same time, however, current issues have been rendered complex and interconnected; it is not possible to state issues, such as the Common Market, in short and simple terms. Thus, whereas the man in the street is expected to have an opinion on international problems, the very complexity of these problems has rendered it difficult to provide him with the information on which to base his judgment.

Nicolson, H. (1963) (3rd edition) Diplomacy.

Oxford: OUP, with adaptations.

01 – (IADES-2019-DIPLOMATA-CACD-1ªFASE)

As far as grammar is concerned and based on the text, mark the following item as right (C) or wrong (E).

(1) Another correct preposition used with the verb “Compared”(line 2) is with, as in “to compare with”.

(2) The expression “Had it not been”(line 9) describes a hypothetical action that would have occurred in the past.

(3) In the fragment “to its achievement”(line 17), the underlined pronoun refers to “religious intensity”(line 16).

(4) In the fragment “Thus, whereas the man in the street”(line 43), the underlined adverb means “as a result of what has just been said or stated” and can be replaced with hence.

__Gabarito:  CCEC__

(1) Another correct preposition used with the verb “Compared”(line 2) is with, as in “to compare with”.

• CORRETO – "TO COMPARE TO" or  "TO COMPARE WITH".
• COMPARE A with/to B [Oxford Dictionary]
• This road is quite busy compared to/with ours. – Esta estrada é bastante movimentada em comparação com a nossa. [Cambridge Dictionary]

(2) The expression “Had it not been”(line 9) describes a hypothetical action that would have occurred in the past.

• CORRETO – HAD IT NOT BEEN – 3rd CONDITIONAL  – descreve situações hipotéticas que poderia ter ocorrido  no passado.

DICAS:

(a) HAD IT NOT BEEN = IF IT HAD NOT BEEN (this is called inversion).

(b)  IF + Past Perfect // WOULD HAVE + Participle Past.

• Had it not been for the invention of the atomic bomb, we should already have been subjected to a third world war. – SE NÃO FOSSE A invenção da bomba atômica, nós já estaríamos sujeitos a uma terceira guerra mundial. 

(3) In the fragment “to its achievement”(line 17), the underlined pronoun refers to “religious intensity”(line 16).

• ERRADO  – ITS refere-se à THIS OBJETIVE.
• Members of the Communist bloc today are convinced that sooner or later they will acquire world dominion and will succeed in imposing their faith and their authority over the whole earth. They strain towards this objective with religious intensity and are prepared to devote to its achievement their lives, their comfort and their prospects of happiness.
• Os membros do bloco comunista hoje estão convencidos de que, mais cedo ou mais tarde, vão ALCANÇAR O DOMÍNIO MUNDIAL e conseguirão impor sua fé e sua autoridade sobre toda a terra. Eles (OS MEMBROS DO BLOCO COMUNISTA) se esforçam para ESTE OBJETIVO (ADQUIRIR O DOMÍNIO MUNDIAL) com intensidade religiosa e estão dispostos a dedicar à sua realização DELE (OBJETIVO) suas vidas, seu conforto e suas perspectivas de felicidade.

(4) In the fragment “Thus, whereas the man in the street”(line 43), the underlined adverb means “as a result of what has just been said or stated” and can be replaced with hence.

• CORRETO - THUS (as a result of something just mentioned) - SYNONYM (hence, therefore). [Oxford Dictionary]
• Thus, whereas the man in the street is expected to have an opinion on international problems, the very complexity of these problems has rendered it difficult to provide him with the information on which to base his judgment. 
• Portanto, enquanto se espera que o homem comum tenha uma opinião sobre os problemas internacionais, a própria complexidade desses problemas tornou difícil fornecer-lhe as informações para as quais basear seu julgamento.

02 – (IADES-2019-DIPLOMATA-CACD-1ªFASE)

Based on the text, mark the following item as right (C) or wrong (E).

(1) The ultimate goal of the author of the text is to draw attention to the importance of nuclear deterrence.

(2) It can be inferred from the text that world diplomacy had then been increasingly dominated by religious fanaticism and financial interests.

(3) The author urges Western diplomats to resort to the same unprincipled conduct their Eastern colleagues engage in.

(4) The general tenor of the text reflects the bipolar world order prevalent in the diplomatic scene after the Second World War.

__Gabarito:  EEEC__

03 – (IADES-2019-DIPLOMATA-CACD-1ªFASE)

As far as lexical comprehension is concerned, mark the following item as right (C) or wrong (E).

(1) In the fragment “resolve on the other hand to impose a mass religion.”(lines 6 and 7), the underlined word means “alternative”.

(2) In the fragment “They strain towards this objective”(lines 15 and 16), the underlined word is synonymous with “move”.

(3) In “their prospects of happiness.”(lines 17 and 18) the underlined word can be correctly replaced with chances or possibilities.

(4) In “and to render these conclusions effective”(lines 38 and 39), the underlined word means “to make”.

__Gabarito:  EECC__

➧ TEXTO-CESPE/CEBRASPE-2018-DIPLOMATA-CACD-1ªFASE).

President Trump’s remarks in recent weeks - contending that fellow NATO members “owe [the United States] a tremendous amount of money,” labeling the European Union a trade “foe” and calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “a good competitor,” for example - have heightened the anxiety of observers who question the resilience of the postwar order. Some focus on the challenges posed by external actors — whether the selective revisionism of China as a complex competitor-cum-partner or the more confrontational behavior of Russia, which appears to have calculated that it can obtain more short-term influence by destabilizing the system than by integrating into it.

Others are more concerned with internal stresses. Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign policy — which has surfaced and amplified simmering economic and demographic anxieties among a significant segment of the American public - articulates a sharp critique of the order’s alleged strategic benefits to the United States, its leading architect. Across the pond, meanwhile, increasingly powerful populist forces from a broad ideological spectrum are contesting the legitimacy of the European project.

While these various accounts go a long way in explaining the postwar order’s woes, they discount an important explanation: having thus far succeeded in achieving its foundational goal — averting a third world war — the postwar order lacks imperatives of comparable urgency to impel its modernization.

It is misleading to characterize the postwar era as a “long peace.” Proxy wars, civil wars and genocides have killed tens of millions over the past three-quarters of a century. Nor do observers agree why a war between great powers has not occurred during that time: they have offered explanations as diverse as “war aversion”, nuclear weapons, the U.S. alliance system and Enlightenment values.

Still, the headline accomplishment remains: no global conflagration has occurred under the aegis of the postwar order. However, this is not to suggest that the system is performing well; to the contrary, its limitations are widely understood and increasingly apparent. It is insufficiently responsive to and reflective of the evolving balance of power, which continues to shift eastward.

The modernization of the world order would ideally result from farsighted diplomacy. It is more likely, though, that policymakers will do little more than push for incremental improvements to an inadequate system, thereby enabling the aforementioned forces —ranging from external challenges to populist uprisings — to continue testing its foundations. The potential result of indefinite erosion — a vacuum in order, without a coherent alternative to replace it — is unpalatable. In a nuclear age, though, it is terrifying to consider what might have to occur for a new order to emerge.

Ali Wyne.

A new world order will likely arise only from calamity.

The Washington Post, jul./2018 (adapted).

1 – (CESPE/CEBRASPE-2018-DIPLOMATA-CACD-1ªFASE)

Considering the grammatical and semantic aspects of text, decide whether the following items are right (C) or wrong (E).

(1) The phrase “obtain more” (l.10 and 11) could be correctly replaced by accrue, without altering the meaning of the passage.

(2) The word “aegis” (l.36) could be replaced by auspices in this particular context.

(3) The idiom “Across the pond” (l.19) could be replaced by Overseas, without altering the meaning of the sentence.

(4) The word “simmering” (l.15) could be replaced by vocal without altering the general meaning of the passage.

__Gabarito:  CCEE__
➧ ITEM (1):  CORRETO, pois o verbo TO ACCRUE transmite a mesma ideia de "TO OBTAIN MORE".

NO TEXTO:

• Some focus on the challenges posed by external actors — whether the selective revisionism of China as a complex competitor-cum-partner or the more confrontational behavior of Russia, which appears to have calculated that it can obtain more short-term influence by destabilizing the system than by integrating into it..
• Alguns se concentram nos desafios colocados por atores externos – seja o revisionismo seletivo da China como um complexo concorrente-parceiro ou o comportamento mais conflituoso da Rússia, que parece ter calculado que pode OBTER MAIS influência à curto prazo desestabilizando o sistema do que integrando-se a ele.

➧ TO ACCRUE – TO INCREASE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, TO ACCUMULATE.

• Interest will accrue if you keep your money in a savings account. – Os juros vão ACUMULAR se você mantiver seu dinheiro em uma conta poupança.[Oxford Dictionary]

➧ ITEM (2): CORRETO porque os idioms "UNDER THE AEGIS OF SOMEONE/SOMETHING" e "UNDER THE AUSPICES OF SOMEONE/SOMETHING" são sinônimos.

➧ NO TEXTO:

• Still, the headline accomplishment remains: no global conflagration has occurred under the aegis of the postwar order.
• Ainda assim, a manchete permanece: nenhuma conflagração global ocorreu sob a ÉGIDE da ordem do pós-guerra.

➧ UNDER THE AEGIS OF SOMEONE/SOMETHING (Idiom) – SOB A ÉGIDE DE ALGUÉM/ALGO, SOB A PROTEÇÃO/APOIO DE ALGUÉM/ALGO.

• Medical supplies are being sent under the aegis of the Red Cross. – Suprimentos médicos estão sendo enviados sob a égide da Cruz Vermelha. [Oxford Dictionary]
• The project was set up under the aegis of the university. – O projeto foi montado sob a égide da universidade. [Cambridge Dictionary]

➧ UNDER THE AUSPICES OF SOMEONE/SOMETHING (Idiom) – SOB OS AUSPÍCIOS DE ALGUÉM/ALGUMA COISA, SOB A PROTEÇÃO/APOIO DE ALGUÉM/ALGO.

• Financial aid is being provided to the country under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund. – A ajuda financeira está sendo fornecida ao país sob os auspícios do Fundo Monetário Internacional. – [Cambridge Dictionary]
• The community centre was set up under the auspices of a government initiative. – O centro comunitário foi criado sob os auspícios de uma iniciativa do governo. [Oxford Dictionary]

➧ ITEM (3): ERRADO porque "ACROSS THE POND"(do outro lado do Oceano Atlântico) é uma expressão idiomática usada para se referir aos EUA ou Reino Unido, dependendo da localização do falante. Enquanto que o vocábulo OVERSEAS (no exterior) transmite uma ideia mais ampla do que "ACROSS THE POND" que é bem específica e sendo assim, a expressão “Across the pond” não poderia ser substituída por Overseas, pois iria alterar o sentido da sentença.

➧ NO TEXTO:

• Across the pond, meanwhile, increasingly powerful populist forces from a broad ideological spectrum are contesting the legitimacy of the European project.
• Do outro lado do oceano, enquanto isso, forças populistas cada vez mais poderosas de um amplo espectro ideológico contestam a legitimidade do projeto europeu.

➧ ACROSS THE POND (Idiom) – This idiom means on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, used to refer to the US or the UK depending on the speaker's location.  – Esta expressão significa do outro lado do Oceano Atlântico, usada para se referir aos EUA ou Reino Unido, dependendo da localização do falante.

• The home’s architecture is inspired by England; the architect had gone across the pond for vacation and designed the house with a British aesthetic. – A arquitetura da casa é inspirada na Inglaterra; o arquiteto atravessou o lago nas férias e projetou a casa com uma estética britânica. [Merriam-Webster Dictionary]

➧ ITEM (4): ERRADO porque os adjetivos SIMMERING (latente) e VOCAL (=outspoken/contundente) expressam sentidos diferentes.

BIZU FEROZ:

- Se uma discussão está SIMMERING, as pessoas ficam com raiva umas das outras, mas apenas demonstram isso levemente.

- Se uma discussão está VOCAL, as pessoas ficam com raiva umas das outras, e demonstram isso PUBLICAMENTE em voz alta.

• If you are simmering with anger, or if anger is simmering in you, you feel very angry but do not show your feelings. Se você está LATENTE DE RAIVA, ou se a raiva está LATENTE dentro de você, você sente muita raiva, mas não demonstra seus sentimentos. – [Longman Dictionary]
• Foley has been particularly vocal in his criticism of the government. – Foley foi particularmente CONTUNDENTE em suas críticas ao governo. [Longman Dictionary]

➧ NO TEXTO:

• Others are more concerned with internal stresses. Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign policy — which has surfaced and amplified simmering economic and demographic anxieties among a significant segment of the American public - articulates a sharp critique of the order’s alleged strategic benefits to the United States, its leading architect.
• Outros estão mais preocupados com tensões internas. A abordagem “America First” de Trump à política externa – que veio à tona e ampliou as ansiedades econômicas e demográficas LATENTES entre um segmento significativo do público americano – articula uma crítica contundente aos supostos benefícios estratégicos da ordem para os Estados Unidos, seu principal arquiteto.

➧ INSTRUÇÃO: Nos itens de 01 a 09, a seguir, são avaliados conhecimentos em língua inglesa.

The human cost of terrorism has been felt in virtually every corner of the globe. The United Nations family has itself suffered tragic human loss as a result of violent terrorist acts. The attack on its offices in Baghdad on 19 August 2003 claimed the lives of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 other men and women, and injured over 150 others, some very seriously. Terrorism clearly has a very real and direct impact on human rights, with devastating consequences for the enjoyment of the right to life, liberty and physical integrity of victims. In addition to these individual costs, terrorism can destabilize governments, undermine civil society, jeopardize peace and security, and threaten social and economic development. All of these also have a real impact on the enjoyment of human rights.

Security of the individual is a basic human right and the protection of individuals is, accordingly, a fundamental obligation of government. States therefore have an obligation to ensure the human rights of their nationals and others by taking positive measures to protect them against the threat of terrorist acts and bringing the perpetrators of such acts to justice.

In recent years, however, the measures adopted by States to counter terrorism have themselves often posed serious challenges to human rights and the rule of law. Some States have engaged in torture and other ill-treatment to counter terrorism, while the legal and practical safeguards available to prevent torture, such as regular and independent monitoring of detention centres have often been disregarded.

Internet:<www.ohchr.org>(adapted).

(CESPE-2008-ABIN-AGENTE DE INTELIGÊNCIA-CARGO 2) – According to the text above, judge the following items.

01. There is no place whatsoever the world over where expenses with terrorism are not to be felt.

__Gabarito:  01-(E)__
➧There is no place whatsoever the world over where expenses with terrorism are not to be felt.

(Não há nenhum lugar no mundo onde não se façam sentir os gastos com o terrorismo.)

➧ITEM ERRADO porque:

- No texto, a noun phrase "THE HUMAN COST OF TERRORISM" (o custo humano do terrorismo), expressa algo definido (vê o artigo THE), o custo relativo a vida humana, ou seja, O CUSTO (DAS PERDAS) DE VIDAS HUMANAS CAUSADAS PELO TERRORISMO.

-No item, a expressão EXPENSES WITH TERRORISM(gastos com terrorismo) expressa um significado indefinido, EXPENSES pode ser os gastos com armamentos  envolvidos no terrorism, gastos com viaturas no terrorism, etc.

- No texto, a expressão "IN VIRTUALLY EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE" tem um significado de abrangência MENOR do que o da expressão enfatizada "THERE IS NO PLACE WHATSOEVER THE WORLD" apresentada no item.

➧ BIZU FEROZ:

(a) WHATSEVER É USADO EM SENTENÇA NEGATIVA PARA ENFATIZAR ALGO. [Collins Dictionary]

• My school did nothing whatsoever in the way of athletics. - Minha escola não fez absolutamente nada em termos de atletismo. [Collins Dictionary]  

(b) VIRTUALLY (= practically, almost) - QUASE, PRATICAMENTE.

02. The United Nations is an international organisation universally respected for its role as a peace maker.

__Gabarito:  02-(E)__

The United Nations is an international organisation universally respected for its role as a peace maker.

(As Nações Unidas são uma organização internacional universalmente respeitada por seu papel como pacificadora.)

➧ITEM ERRADO porque, no texto, o autor não faz menção de "ROLE AS A PEACE MAKER" da ONU, e também, não afirma que a ONU é mundialmente respeitada. 

03. Twenty two people were killed in a terrorist assault in Baghdad.

__Gabarito:  03-(C)__
Twenty two people were killed in a terrorist assault in Baghdad.

(Vinte e duas pessoas foram mortas em um ataque terrorista em Bagdá.)

➧ITEM CORRETO: 1( Sergio Vieira) + 21(homens e mulheres), conforme o trecho:

"[...] The attack on its offices in Baghdad... claimed the lives of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 other men and women,"

(O ataque aos seus escritórios ....CEIFOU AS VIDAS do Representante Especial do Secretário-Geral, Sergio Vieira de Mello, e de outros 21 homens e mulheres,)

04. The sentence "Terrorism (...) has (...) devastating consequences for the enjoyment of the right to life" (R.8-10) means the same as Terrorism (...) has (...) a devastating impact on people’s way of life.

__Gabarito:  04-(E)__
05. Terrorism can bring about both individual and social costs.

__Gabarito:  05-(C)__
06. Security and protection of individuals can be considered basic human rights and essential duty of governments.

__Gabarito:  06-(C)__
07. Not only terrorism but also anti-terrorism have used questionable methods to reach their goals.

__Gabarito:  07-(C)__
08. Counter-terrorism can count on legal support to engage in torture.

__Gabarito:  08-(E)__
09. The pronoun "them" (R.20) refers to "the human rights of their nationals and others" (R.19).

__Gabarito:  09-(C)__

➧ INSTRUÇÃO: Read the text.

UN announces program to help hunger hot spots

A UN agency rolled out a $ 214 million program Tuesday to help needy places hit hard by high prices for food and oil, amid a crisis already making it hard for aid groups to provide enough food for the world’s hungry.

The World Food Program said almost 1 billion poor people around the world are struggling to survive amid the higher prices. The agency is trying to reach those in critical need of assistance in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

“Food prices are not abating, and the world’s most vulnerable have exhausted their coping strategies”, said Josette Sheeran, the agency’s executive director. “Our action plan is targeted and customized to help the most vulnerable meet their urgent needs.”

The plan will provide assistance to groups such as pregnant women, undernourished children and people living in urban areas affected most by the food crisis.

The Rome-based agency also hopes to cut transportation costs and help support farmers in countries where emergency food can be bought locally.

But the agency already faces "obstacles" in procuring food, particularly when trying to buy supplies locally, spokeswoman Brenda Barton said.

“At the markets we have been buying food it has become just too expensive”, Barton told The Associated Press by telephone. And she added: “a lot of markets just don’t have any food to buy.”

Internet: <www.com/?nid=105&sid=1458082ap.google.com>(adapted).

(CESPE-2008-ABIN-AGENTE DE INTELIGÊNCIA-CARGO 2) – Based on the text above, it can be deduced that:

10. a United Nations agency hit hard some needy people.

__Gabarito:  10-(E)__
11. it is difficult to control the starvation the world is facing.

__Gabarito:  11-(C)__
12. the World Food Program stated that billions of people all over the world are finding it hard to survive due to high prices.

__Gabarito:  12-(E)__
13. the World Food Program is attempting to help needy people who are spread over three continents.

__Gabarito:  13-(C)__
14. Josette Sheeran says that they have now succeeded in feeding the most deprived people.

__Gabarito:  14-(E)__
15. at least three groups of people are the present target for food supply by the UN agency mentioned in the text.

__Gabarito:  15-(C)__
16. farmers may take part in the emergency food program.

__Gabarito:  16-(C)__
17. local provisions of food are particularly easy to find.

__Gabarito:  17-(E)__

➧ INSTRUÇÃO: This text refers to items from 18 through 25.

Which has more Islamist terrorism, Europe or America?

“Since 9/11, there have been over 2,300 arrests1 connected to Islamist terrorism in Europe in contrast to about 60 in the United States.” Thus writes Marc Sageman in his influential new book, Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks4 in the Twenty-First Century (University of Pennsylvania Press).

This one statistical comparison inspires Sageman, in a chapter he calls The Atlantic Divide, to draw sweeping conclusions about the superior circumstances of American Muslims. “The rate of arrests on terrorism charges per capita among Muslims is six times higher in Europe than in the United States.” The reason for this discrepancy, he argues, “lies in the differences in the extent to which these respective Muslim communities are radicalized.” He praises “American cultural exceptionalism”, admonishes European governments “to avoid committing mistakes that risk the loss of good will in the Muslim community,” and urges Europeans to learn from Americans.

Sageman’s argument rehashes what Spencer Ackerman wrote in a New Republic cover story of late 2005, when he found that “Europe’s growing Muslim culture of alienation, marginalization, and jihad isn’t taking root” in the United States.

But Sageman’s entire case is premised on the figures of 2,300 and 60 arrests. Aside from possible other causal explanations for these differences, such as the European legal system permitting more latitude to make terrorism-related arrests, are those figures even correct? He supports them with only a brief, vague footnote: “Updating Eggen and Tate, 2005; Lustick 2006: 151-52 agrees with this estimate.” Here, “Eggen and Tate, 2005” refers to a two-part newspaper article and “Lustick 2006” sources a discredited extremist screed.

Internet: <www.danielpipes.org> (adapted).

(CESPE-2008-ABIN-AGENTE DE INTELIGÊNCIA-CARGO 2) – From the text, it can be inferred that:

18. Sageman's figures are considered to be very accurate and show exactly the far superior number of terrorists arrested in Europe when compared to the American ones.

__Gabarito:  18-(E)__
19. Sageman became a notorious writer thanks to his new book.

__Gabarito:  19-(E)__
20. "The Atlantic Divide" presents well established conclusions about the superiority of American Muslims.

__Gabarito:  20-(E)__
21. Sageman believes the proportion of people who are imprisoned for Islamist terrorism is lower in the United States than in Europe.

__Gabarito:  21-(C)__
22. Sageman believes that, in dealing with terrorism, America is in a better position than Europe.

__Gabarito:  22-(C)__
23. Sageman uses the strategy of mentioning other authors to support his estimates.

__Gabarito:  23-(C)__
24. the Muslim community in America is bigger than that of Europe.

__Gabarito:  24-(E)__
25. In the text, "Aside from"(l.24) is the same as at the side of.

__Gabarito:  25-(X)__