ASIA

1. RUSSIA Member , “Partnership for Peace” Member UN Security Council Confirmed nuclear weapons capability,

world’s largest nuclear arsenal The US’ enemy during the Cold War Unstable, semi-democratic government Large reserves of oil, other resources

2. CHINA (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) World’s most populous country Confirmed nuclear weapons capability World’s 3rd largest economy, fastest growing

economy #2 trade partner of the US Liberalizing Communist regime Member, UN Security Council

3. INDIA Member of the G20 2nd most populous nation Growing economy Confirmed nuclear capability Long-running enmity with neighbor Pakistan

over Kashmir region

4. SRI LANKA From 1983 to 2009, there was an on-and-off

civil war against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist militant organization.

Both the Sri Lankan government and LTTE have been accused of various human rights violations.

On May 19, 2009, the President of Sri Lanka officially claimed an end to the insurgency and the defeat of the LTTE

5.BURMA (MYANMAR) Ruled by repressive military Junta since the

1960’s Accused of numerous human rights abuses Aug 2009 government fought against ethnic

minorities in “Kokang Incident”. Thousands of Burmans fled to China

6. VIETNAM Former French colony. Communist forces

under HoChi Minh fought to take control of the country from the 1950’s-1970’s.

The US became involved in Vietnam in the 1950’s, escalating into the 1960’s, early 1970’s. Considered one of the most disastrous of all US wars.

Country taken by the communists in 1975, still communist, but slowly liberalizing, expanding the economy.

7. INDONESIA Member of the G20 Largest economy in SE Asia Largest population of Muslims outside of the

middle east

8. TAIWAN (REPUBLIC OF CHINA) Original holder of “China” seat on the

security Council Not recognized by the PRC as a separate

country, periodic periods of tension between PRC and ROC

High-performing economy US has pledged to protect ROC

9. JAPAN Member of G8,G20 World’s 2nd largest economy Technically has no army due to provisions of

treaty after WWII, has a “Self- Defense Force” (SDF, JSDF) instead

Populous country with aging population, fears change in demographics will slow economy

#4 trade partner with US Depends on US military protection March 2011 tsunami seriously damaged a large

part of the nation, caused worst nuclear powerplant accidents since 1986’s Chernobyl incident

10. SOUTH KOREA Korea divided along the 38th parallel, South

Korea is a capitalist democracy Fast-growing economy Member of G20, last year’s chair UN troops still stationed along the 38th

parallel 7th largest trade partner for US

11. NORTH KOREA World’s only hard-line Stalinist communist

regime Leadership currently in transition Most recently confirmed nuclear-capable

state Seen as a “rogue” state by most of the world

community Extremely poor, closed society and economy

12. CAMBODIA Ruled by the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1991- one

of the world’s most bloody and extreeme communist/totalitarian regimes

Khmer Rouge immediately evacuated the cities and sent the entire population on forced marches to rural work projects. They attempted to rebuild the country's agriculture on the model of the 11th century, discarded Western medicine, and destroyed temples, libraries, and anything considered Western. Over a million Cambodians, out of a total population of 8 million, died from executions, overwork, starvation and disease.

Estimates as to how many people were killed by the Khmer Rouge regime range from approximately one to three million.This era gave rise to the term “Killing Fields”

AFRICA

1. LIBYA “GREAT SOCIALIST PEOPLE'S LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA” Muammar al-Kadafi (Quadafai, Gaddafi) took

over via a coup in 1969, recent “Arab Spring” uprising and resultant civil war has divided the country between Kadafi’s regime and The Benghazi-based National Transitional Council, led by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, controls most of the eastern half of the country. It uses short-form name Libya for the Libyan state, but has also on occasion referred to it in the long-form as the Libyan Republic

Kadafi’s regime has been linked to terrorism, tense relationship with the US

2. EGYPT Although ostensibly democratic, Egypt had

been ruled by the same president, Hosni Mubarik since 1981 until he was ousted in March of 2011

Home and head of the Arab League

3.SUDAN Home to the Darfur region, where a conflict

between government sponsored militias and local tribes has been ongoing since the early 1990’s.

4. ETHIOPIA Faced severe drought and famine in the

1970’s and 80’s, is facing drought conditions again.

Transitioned from a communist regime to a nominally democratic one in the early 1990’s, but is considered a de fact o one party state due to the ruling party’s repression of opposition groups

5. SOMALIA Civil war in the 1990’s prompted US

intervention in the area. After suffering losses, the US pulled out.

Somalia has continued to engage in civil war. As off 2009, a provisional government was attempting to reunify the warring parties.

Somalia is the home base for many pirates that operate in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean

Somalia is now facing famine conditions in many regions

6. LIBERIA Founded by freed American slaves sent back

to Africa in 1847. (Liberia- from “liberty”, capital city “Monrovia” from the name of then-president Monroe.)

Civil wars in 1989 and 1999 resulted in chaos and rampant human-rights abuses

Security situation in the region is precarious, and the economy is very fragile

7. COTE D’ IVOIRE (IVORY COAST) Source of much of the cocoa used in world-

wide chocolate manufacture- often farmed by child slave labor

Though one of the most prosperous of the Western African nations, civil war in the late 90’s early 2000’s have caused instability politically and economically. The warring parties in Cote d’Ivoire were infamous for using child soldiers in the conflicts.

8. NIGERIA One of the fastest growing economies in the

world 2nd largest economy in Africa The regional power of West Africa Current Non-permanent member of the UN

security Council

9. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (FORMERLY KNOWN AS ZAIRE) The Second Congo War, beginning in 1998,

devastated the country, involved seven foreign armies and is sometimes referred to as the "African World War". Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continues in the east of the country. In eastern Congo, the prevalence of rape and other sexual violence is described as the worst in the world. The war is the world's deadliest conflict since World War II, killing 5.4 million people.

10. UGANDA Home to dictator Idi Amin, who ruled for

approximately eight years in the 1970’s and murdered approximately 300,000 people while in office

Human rights conditions have improved since the 1980’s, but reports of involvement of Ugandan guerilla groups in the Congo conflict are ongoing

One of the few countries hard hit by HIV/AIDS in Africa to successfully combat the disease

11. KENYA Site of the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy

perpetrated by followers of Osama bin-Laden One of the most promising developing

economies in Africa Home to the father (now deceased) of US

President Obama

12. SOUTH AFRICA Member of the G20 Strongest country economically and

politically in Africa Official policy of racial segregation

“Apartheid” ended in 1994

RWANDA

Site of the Rwandan Genocide of the 1990’s- between the “Hutu” and Tutsi” tribes, which were arbitrary creations of the Belgian colonists.

THE MIDDLE EAST

1. TURKEY Negotiating to become a full member of the

EU Regional power in the Middle East Member of the G20 Strategically important ally to the US

2. ISRAEL Historically significant for Abrahimic religions Currently engaged in long-running tensions

with the Arab world Undeclared nuclear power Strong US ally

3. LEBANON Suffered a destabilizing civil war in the 70’s

and 80’s Engaged in constant disputes with Israel Home to Hezbollah, a Shiia political and

paramilitary organization

4, SYRIA Involved in the Arab opposition to Israel Increasingly authoritarian government

5. IRAQ US fought against Iraq in Gulf War I in early

1990’s after Iraq invaded Kuwait US invaded Iraq in 2003, deposed the leader

Saddam Hussien US is currently occupying Iraq, US forces

slated to leave Iraq by the end of 2011

6, IRAN Fundamentalist Shiia Islamic theocracy

established in 1979 after the former leader- the US backed Shah of Iran- was deposed and fled the country

Currently undergoing a period of internal unrest

Long-standing enmity between Iran and the US

Currently working on a nuclear program that may include weapons-grade nuclear material

7. PAKISTAN Confirmed nuclear power Going through a period of internal instability A reluctant US ally in the Invasions of Iraq

and Afghanistan Home to branches of the Al-Qaeda terror

network US currently launching attacks against terror

cells in Pakistan

8. AFGHANISTAN Constant turmoil since the Soviet invasion in

1979 After the Soviets left, militant islamists

backed by the US- Mujahedeen- took over, established a fundamentalist islamist state

The islamist government of Afghanistan, the Taliban, harbored islamist terror groups, including al-Quaeda

The US invaded Afghanistan post 9/11, has recently increased commitment to troop levels in the area

9. SAUDI ARABIA Home to the two holiest sites in Islam- Mecca

and Medina World’s largest petroleum exporter Member of OPEC – Organization of Oil

Exporting Countries- the world’s largest oil cartel that has an instrumental role in setting world oil prices

Reluctant US ally Heavily connected to Islamist terror groups

10. JORDAN Involved in the Arab opposition to Israel Target of recent terrorist attacks

11. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) High income developing country Member of OPEC City of Dubai is emerging as a global

financial center Ally of the US during invasion of Afghanistan

and Iraq