Contemporary Global Issues MCQs 2026

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in

1. A 2000 ✓
2. B 2010 ✓
3. C 2015 ✓
4. D 2020 ✓

Global terrorism post-9/11 led to UN Security Council resolution

1. A 242 on Middle East only ✓
2. B 1973 on Libya only ✓
3. C 2250 on youth only ✓
4. D 1373 (2001) on counter-terrorism measures ✓

The Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted by the UN General Assembly in

1. A 2001 ✓
2. B 1990 ✓
3. C 2015 ✓
4. D 2006 ✓

Human rights in contemporary global politics are codified centrally in the

1. A NPT and CTBT only ✓
2. B WTO agreements only ✓
3. C Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and subsequent covenants ✓
4. D Montreal Protocol only ✓

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutes individuals for

1. A trade tariff violations ✓
2. B copyright infringement ✓
3. C ordinary immigration offenses ✓
4. D genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression ✓

Pandemic politics during COVID-19 highlighted tensions over

1. A nuclear deterrence only ✓
2. B maritime boundary disputes only ✓
3. C vaccine nationalism, WHO authority and sovereignty vs coordination ✓
4. D space weaponization only ✓

The WHO's International Health Regulations (2005) require states to

1. A share all military secrets ✓
2. B accept mandatory border closures by WHO ✓
3. C detect, assess, notify and respond to public health emergencies ✓
4. D cede health sovereignty entirely ✓

COVAX was designed to

1. A enforce CTBT compliance ✓
2. B manage refugee camps in Europe ✓
3. C regulate cyber weapons ✓
4. D equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines globally ✓

Transnational migration governance involves tension between

1. A complete abolition of all borders universally agreed ✓
2. B state border control and human rights/migrant protection norms ✓
3. C no role for international law ✓
4. D migration is exclusively a military issue ✓

The Global Compact for Migration (2018) is

1. A a treaty replacing 1951 Refugee Convention ✓
2. B an NATO migration command ✓
3. C a non-binding cooperative framework on international migration ✓
4. D a WTO trade pact ✓

Climate justice debates often emphasize

1. A common but differentiated responsibilities among states ✓
2. B identical obligations regardless of development ✓
3. C exemption of all developing states from any action ✓
4. D climate change is not anthropogenic ✓

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides

1. A scientific assessments to inform climate policy ✓
2. B binding emission quotas ✓
3. C military enforcement of climate targets ✓
4. D nuclear verification services ✓

Soft power in addressing global issues refers to

1. A exclusive use of military force ✓
2. B attraction through culture, values and policies rather than coercion ✓
3. C sanctions only ✓
4. D cyber attacks on rivals ✓

The war on terror raised concerns about

1. A expansion of refugee rights universally ✓
2. B human rights violations, indefinite detention and torture ✓
3. C abolition of all intelligence agencies ✓
4. D mandatory ICC membership for all ✓

Extraterritorial drone strikes illustrate debates over

1. A fisheries management only ✓
2. B postal regulations ✓
3. C cultural heritage protection only ✓
4. D sovereignty, self-defense and distinction in armed conflict ✓

SDG 13 specifically addresses

1. A climate action ✓
2. B quality education only ✓
3. C gender equality only ✓
4. D peaceful cities only ✓

Global inequality in vaccine access during COVID-19 is cited as an example of

1. A structural inequity in global governance ✓
2. B successful multilateralism without criticism ✓
3. C irrelevance of international organizations ✓
4. D complete equality among states ✓

Cybersecurity norms at the UN have been discussed in the

1. A IAEA Board only ✓
2. B International Whaling Commission ✓
3. C World Trade Organization Appellate Body only ✓
4. D Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) and Open-Ended Working Group ✓

Ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure raise

1. A only private insurance matters ✓
2. B questions of state responsibility and critical infrastructure protection ✓
3. C no international law relevance ✓
4. D exclusive WTO jurisdiction ✓

The concept of securitization (Copenhagen School) explains how issues like migration or climate become

1. A purely economic topics always ✓
2. B legally binding treaties automatically ✓
3. C framed as existential security threats justifying emergency measures ✓
4. D irrelevant to IR theory ✓

Humanitarian intervention without Security Council authorization remains

1. A explicitly mandated by all treaties ✓
2. B contested under the UN Charter's Article 2(4) and Chapter VII ✓
3. C prohibited with no debate ever ✓
4. D required for all R2P cases automatically ✓

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under Paris are

1. A legally binding uniform emission caps for all states ✓
2. B voluntary national climate action plans subject to periodic updating ✓
3. C IAEA safeguards reports ✓
4. D NATO defense spending targets ✓

The Paris Agreement (2015) aims primarily to

1. A limit global warming well below 2°C and pursue 1.5°C efforts ✓
2. B abolish all fossil fuels by 2020 ✓
3. C transfer nuclear weapons to UN control ✓
4. D eliminate all migration ✓

Cyber warfare in contemporary IR raises issues of

1. A attribution, sovereignty and applicability of international humanitarian law ✓
2. B only copyright enforcement ✓
3. C exclusive domestic jurisdiction with no IR relevance ✓
4. D complete ban on all internet use ✓

R2P rests on three pillars including

1. A unilateral invasion always ✓
2. B abolition of sovereignty entirely ✓
3. C economic sanctions only on trade ✓
4. D state responsibility, international assistance and timely collective response ✓

Climate-induced displacement is debated in international law because

1. A there is no dedicated binding treaty for climate refugees ✓
2. B 1951 Convention explicitly covers all climate migrants ✓
3. C Paris Agreement grants refugee status automatically ✓
4. D UN Charter bans climate migration ✓

The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution based on

1. A economic hardship alone ✓
2. B race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion ✓
3. C climate change alone without persecution ✓
4. D any desire to migrate for work ✓

Global governance refers to

1. A rule-making and coordination among states, IOs and non-state actors on transnational issues ✓
2. B only UN military command ✓
3. C domestic municipal law only ✓
4. D elimination of all NGOs ✓

Food insecurity as a global issue is worsened by

1. A complete elimination of all trade ✓
2. B exclusive overproduction in all regions ✓
3. C conflict, climate shocks and supply chain disruptions ✓
4. D irrelevance of geopolitics ✓

Digital sovereignty debates involve

1. A exclusive reliance on Morse code ✓
2. B banning all encryption universally agreed ✓
3. C data localization, platform regulation and cross-border flows ✓
4. D irrelevance of state borders online ✓

The Anthropocene concept in global politics refers to

1. A pre-industrial climate stability as norm ✓
2. B exclusive geological term with no policy relevance ✓
3. C abolition of all industry ✓
4. D human activity as a dominant force shaping Earth systems ✓

Universal jurisdiction allows states to prosecute

1. A all traffic violations globally ✓
2. B copyright disputes only ✓
3. C certain grave crimes regardless of where they occurred ✓
4. D ordinary tax evasion anywhere ✓

The European migrant crisis (mid-2010s) stressed

1. A NATO nuclear sharing only ✓
2. B Schengen borders, burden-sharing and EU–Turkey cooperation ✓
3. C Asia-Pacific trade only ✓
4. D Antarctic Treaty System only ✓

Terrorist use of social media platforms concerns

1. A radicalization, content moderation and state–platform cooperation ✓
2. B only postal regulations ✓
3. C deep-sea mining ✓
4. D antarctic tourism ✓

The Paris Agreement uses a

1. A top-down binding annex allocations like Kyoto for all ✓
2. B IAEA safeguards model exclusively ✓
3. C WTO dispute panel enforcement for all breaches ✓
4. D bottom-up pledge and review architecture ✓

Global health security links pandemics to

1. A only domestic hospital policy ✓
2. B nuclear strategy exclusively ✓
3. C development, trade, travel and geopolitical rivalry ✓
4. D maritime salvage law ✓

Climate refugees from low-lying island states raise questions about

1. A exclusive NATO jurisdiction ✓
2. B statehood, territorial loss and relocation rights ✓
3. C automatic ICC prosecution ✓
4. D abolition of UNFCCC ✓

The Libya intervention (2011) influenced R2P debates because

1. A it fully resolved Syrian conflict ✓
2. B it ended all migration to Europe ✓
3. C it ratified Paris Agreement ✓
4. D regime change perceptions damaged consensus on R2P implementation ✓

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine was endorsed at the

1. A 2005 UN World Summit ✓
2. B 1945 San Francisco Conference ✓
3. C 1992 Rio Earth Summit ✓
4. D 2015 Paris COP ✓

The Tallinn Manual relates to

1. A maritime boundary delimitation ✓
2. B international law applicable to cyber operations ✓
3. C nuclear test bans ✓
4. D refugee resettlement quotas ✓