How does cultural diversity contribute to political challenges in Southeast Asia?

A.

Ethnic and religious groups compete for influence.

B.

Changing climate patterns pose environmental problems.

C.

Urbanization leads to overcrowding with too few services and jobs.

D.

Economic disparity leads to rebellion among poor groups.

A. Ethnic and religious groups compete for influence.

Explanation:

South East Asia is an ethnically and culturally diverse region. Historically, it was under the influence of the powers of India and China and the religious trends linked mainly to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.

Nowadays, political problems associated with ethnic and religious diversity represent a great challenge in this region. In the last years, a great crisis among the Rohingya people arose. The Rohingya are an ethnic group of Myanmar that holds Sunni Islam as their main religion, they are around 1.1 million people in Myanmar and, since they are not considered as one of the ethnic groups of the country, they do not have legal protection from the government. Therefore, they are facing ferocious attacks and persecutions. Due to this persecution, in the last years, especially in 2015, a massive wave of Rohingya refugees fled to other countries in South East Asia. This was known as the Rohingya crisis, which has become a big deal for the South East Asian countries.

Answer: D.

Economic disparity leads to rebellion among poor groups.

Explanation: D.

Economic disparity leads to rebellion among poor groups.