Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Assignment Example Couple that with the differences in government country by country, in addition to various cultural differences, and the mutual understanding of these regional differences become even more important as we move through the 21st century. There are eight commonly defined regions in the world today, each with multiple states and cultures represented. What follows is a brief synopsis of one state in each region, its form of government, and the state of its economic growth in relation to the rest of the region. European Region Europe is typically divided into two or three separate regions due to its vast landscape, population, and cultural differences. For the purposes of the comparison, however, let us just focus on the country of Romania. The government of Romania is a form of a republic, drastically changed from the form of government in place prior to 1991. Today, Romania is in the European Union, pledging to maintain a form of democracy in their country. The president of Romania is ele cted by a popular and democratic vote. This office does have a term limitation of two terms, of five years each. Like much of Europe, the legislative body in Romania is dominated the by the Parliament, which has two distinct houses, both contained members elected via the democratic process. Romania has a sizeable military for a country of its size. . They spend 1.9% of their GDP on the military annually, which ranks them 76th in the world in terms of expenditures. While Romania has recently entered the European Union, its economy is still lagging behind that of other countries in the region. Widespread poverty exists and the country has had to receive economic reform packages from the World Bank to stay solvent. Their per capita GDP is $12,500, which ranks it 98th in the world. North American Region Mexico is a country in the North American region that has been relatively stable for decades now, even though it has its share of tumultuous times. The current system of government is th at of a federation and has been in existence since 1917. The government is representative of the people and is a hybrid of the democratic and republic forms of government. Mexico has a democracy, where the president and members of the legislative body must be elected to office by a democratic vote of the people. The Mexican military is quite sizeable due to its policy of compulsory service. All eligible males are expected to serve for a minimum of 12 months. Beyond this, however, Mexico spends little on their military – only 0.5% of their GDP. This ranks them 159th in the world. They depend on their allies, namely the United States, for assurances of protection from potential threats. Mexico’s economy has benefited from the North American Free Trade Agreement and continues to grow annually. While they are the poorest country in this region of states, their annual GDP is $14,700. This ranks them as 86th in the world. Latin American Region Let us focus on the country of Ecuador when discussing states in the Latin American region. Like most countries in this region, a democratically elected president governs Ecuador. An interesting fact about Ecuador’s democracy is that voting is actually mandatory for any citizen aged 18-65 who can read. There are 130 members of the legislative branch of government, representing all provinces of Ecuador. Each of these members are elected by the people as well, serving out four year terms. Ecuador has a well-established army, navy,