AHS Comparative Government

China has a very low birthrate. While its total population has not yet begun to decline (life expectancy in China has lengthened considerably in recent years), the number of people in China's labor force has started to fall.

While all Chinese provinces have low birthrates, some provinces have far lower birthrates than others. This means that there are significant demographic differences between different parts of China. In places in China with very low birthrates, as many as 120 boys are born for every 100 girls; as a result, these regions may suffer serious social problems in the future. Moreover, Chinese provinces with very low birthrates and high levels of outward migration have difficulty maintaining pension funds and social services; provinces that enjoy somewhat higher birthrates and high levels of in-migration are better able to fund old age pensions and social services for their residents:

https://www.economist.com/news/china/21729573-no-province-has-many-babies-some-shortfalls-are-much-worse-others-chinas-demographic

On Tuesday, Mexico suffered its second severe earthquake in less than two weeks. The epicenter of the magnitude 7.1 temblor was in the center of the country; the earthquake killed over 300 people, injured more than 2800, and resulted in serious damage in the states of Puebla, Morelos and Mexico, as well as in Mexico City. The earthquake came on the anniversary of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Mexico City in 1985. That earthquake may have killed as many as 30,000 people; it was also a significant factor in the democratization of the country:

https://www.economist.com/news/americas/21729552-country-has-learned-disaster-took-place-32-years-ago-small-consolations
 
This morning, a third serious earthquake -- a magnitude 6.1 aftershock of the massive magnitude 8.1 temblor that struck southern Mexico on 7 September -- struck the southern state of Oaxaca. Today's earthquake killed two people near the epicenter and two others in Mexico City.

In Russia, public confidence in the armed forces and in President Vladimir Putin have increased appreciably in the past five years. Russians believe that a strong army led by a strong leader is essential to protect from Russia from Western (and especially American) bullying:

https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21729445-father-ak-47-had-qualms-about-his-invention-vladimir-putins-russia-celebrates-it

In 2015, Iran reached an agreement with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China regarding its nuclear fuel enrichment program. Iran accepted restrictions on its ability to enrich uranium, and on the amount of low-grade and medium-grade enriched uranium it may store (Iran may not have any weapons-grade uranium), and agreed to dismantle a heavy-water nuclear reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium. Iran also agreed to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of its nuclear and military facilities, in order to verify its compliance with these restrictions. In return, the international community agreed to remove the economic sanctions imposed on Iran in response to the country’s nuclear fuel enrichment program, though some limitations (on sales of offensive weapons and, in particular, on transfers of ballistic missile technology) will remain; the economic sanctions lifted pursuant to the agreement will be reimposed automatically if Iran violates its terms.

Credible observers, including the IAEA, agree that Iran has complied with its obligations under the agreement. Nonetheless, in a speech last week before the United Nations General Assembly, US President Donald Trump threatened that the United States might withdraw from the agreement and impose new economic sanctions on Iran.

In an article published online this week, the Asia's Society's Eric Fish argues that American withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement would strengthen the position, within the Iranian regime, of hardline anti-American conservatives:

http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/why-trumps-iran-posture-may-be-more-carrot-stick-countrys-hardliners

Although the residents of the United Kingdom enjoy religious freedom, England (where 84% of the UK population lives) has an established state church, the Church of England. The head of the Church is the Queen. The bishops of the Church are nominally appointed by the Queen (they are, in fact, appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of Church officials); 26 of the bishops of the Church of England sit in the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament. (The leaders of Britain's other religions are not represented in the House of Lords).

Several generations ago, most people in England thought of themselves as members of the Church of England -- even if they never attended services and knew little about Christian theology. Today, most people in the UK profess no religion. Only about 15% of Britons describe themselves as Anglicans (members of the Church of England). Most strikingly, only 3% of Britons aged 18 to 24 identify as Anglicans. Indeed, less than a quarter of young Britons describe themselves as Christians:

https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21728600-only-15-call-themselves-anglicans-dont-bet-church-losing-its-official-role-any-time

For the past two weeks, American news reports have focused on the immense destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey in southeastern Texas, and by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean and in Florida. While we remember the millions of people affected by these events, and donate our time and funds to relief efforts, it's important to remember that natural disasters occur in all countries -- including countries with far fewer resources for coping with them than the US. Indeed, two of the countries we study in Comparative Government have also been hit by natural disasters in recent weeks.

On Thursday, Mexico was struck by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake. The quake, centered off the country's southern coast, killed more than 90 people. The Mexican states hit hardest by the earthquake, Chiapas and Oaxaca, are among the poorest in the country (as measured by incidence of poverty and by GDP per capita adjusted for PPP).

In late August, over 100,000 people were displaced from their homes by flooding in the central Nigerian state of Benue. Three people were killed in the floods; the crowded conditions faced by the survivors, moreover, were said to threaten the outbreak of epidemic disease. The government of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was criticized in the Nigerian press for the slowness of its relief efforts. (Buhari returned to Nigeria in mid-August following three months of treatment in London for an undisclosed medical condition).

A government's response to a natural disaster can have significant political consequences. For example, the Mexican federal government proved unable to feed and rehouse the victims of a massive earthquake that struck Mexico City in 1985. Some of the first truly autonomous nongovernmental organizations to develop in Mexico were started in the 1980s by private citizens who wanted to help the earthquake victims. These NGOs soon developed into urban social justice organizations -- and into a movement demanding more effective social services, honest government and political democracy.

In the past decade, the Chinese government has spent $360 billion to build the world's most extensive high-speed rail network. China currently has more than 13,500 miles of high-speed rail line in service; by 2020, the country will operate 18,000 miles of high-speed rail line. China recently raised the top speed permitted on its Beijing-Shanghai service to over 200 miles per hour, the first time since a 2011 accident that Chinese trains have been allowed to exceed 180 miles per hour:

https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2017/09/daily-chart