Questões de Concursos Inglês

It has become clear that preventive diplomacy is only one
of a class of actions that can be taken to prevent disputes from
turning into armed conflict. Others in this class are preventive
deployment of military and(or) police personnel; preventive
humanitarian action, for example, to manage and resolve a
refugee situation in a sensitive frontier area; and preventive
peace-building, which itself comprises an extensive menu of
possible actions in the political, economic and social fields,
applicable especially to possible internal conflicts.
All these preventive actions share the following
characteristics: they all depend on early warning that the risk of
conflict exists; they require information about the causes and
likely nature of the potential conflict so that the appropriate
preventive action can be identified; and they require the consent
of the party or parties within whose jurisdiction the preventive
action is to take place.

The element of timing iscrucial. The potential conflict
should be ripe for the preventive action proposed. Timing is also
an important consideration in peace-making and peace-keeping.
The prevention, control and resolution of a conflict is like the
prevention, control and cure of a disease. If treatment is
prescribed at the wrong moment in the evolution of a disease, the
patient does not improve, and the credibility of both the treatment
and the physician who prescribed it is compromised.

Internet: (with adaptations).

Leia o texto para responder às questões de números 65 a 70.

What is organized crime?

Organized crime was characterised by the United Nations, in 1994, as: " group organization to commit crime; hierarchical links or personal relationships which permit leaders to control the group: violence, intimidation and corruption used to earn profits or control territories or markets; laundering of illicit proceeds both in furtherance of criminal activity and to infiltrate the legitimate economy; the potential for expansion into any new activities and beyond national borders; and cooperation with other organized transnational criminal groups." It is increasingly global. Although links between, for example, mafia groups in Italy and the USA have existed for decades, new and rapid means of communication have facilitated the development of international networks. Some build on shared linguistic or cultural ties, such as a network trafficking drugs and human organs, which links criminal gangs in Mozambique, Portugal, Brazil, Pakistan, Dubai and South Africa. Others bring together much less likely groups, such as those trafficking arms, drugs and people between South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan and Russia, or those linking the Russian mafia with Colombian cocaine cartels or North American criminal gangs with the Japanese Yakuza. Trafficked commodities may pass from group to group along the supply chain; for instance heroin in Italy has traditionally been produced in Afghanistan, transported by Turks, distributed by Albanians, and sold by Italians. Organized crime exploits profit opportunities wherever they arise. Globalization of financial markets, with free movement of goods and capital, has facilitated smuggling of counterfeit goods (in part a reflection of the creation of global brands), internet fraud, and money-laundering. On the other hand, organized crime also takes advantage of the barriers to free movement of people across national borders and the laws against non-medicinal use of narcotics: accordingly it earns vast profits in smuggling migrants and psychoactive drugs. Briquet and Favarel have identified deregulation and the " rolling back of the state" in some countries as creating lacunae that have been occupied by profiteers. The political changes in Europe in the late 1980s fuelled the growth in criminal networks, often involving former law enforcement officers. Failed states, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo or Sierra Leone, have provided further opportunities as criminal gangs smuggle arms in and commodities out, for example diamonds, gold, and rare earth metals, often generating violence against those involved in the trade and in the surrounding communities. Finally, there are a few states, such as the Democratic Republic of Korea and Burma and Guinea-Bissau (once described as a narco-state) where politicians have been alleged to have played an active role in international crime. Organized criminal gangs have strong incentives. Compared with legitimate producers, they have lower costs of production due to the ability to disregard quality and safety standards, tax obligations, minimum wages or employee benefits. Once established, they may threaten or use violence to eliminate competitors, and can obtain favourable treatment by regulatory authorities either through bribes or threats.

(www.globalizationandhealth.com. Adaptado)