Knowing that national leaders frequently make decisions based on perceptions of their country's interests, the 1984 conference focused on national interests in turning to the United Nations. Through the use of case studies, participants examined the performance of the UN system and the consequences of member nations ignoring their obligation to…

Details the colloquiam commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the end of World War II with participants from East Germany, Norway, Soviet Union, Denmark and Finland. Analyzes detente in terms of conflicting ideologies, social responsibilities, and free flow of information. (MH)

Defines war as symptom rather than cause. Identifies the root cause of the Middle East crisis as destruction of the regional balance of power through foreign augmentation of Iraqi power. Criticizes the tendency to see world problems as a fight between good and evil. Defines realism as the ability to see political realities as a balance of power.…

This document presents a particularly challenging unit that thrusts students into the new foreign policy frontier that has developed since the end of the Cold War. The unit contains background reading and foreign policy options. The first part of the background reading introduces students to the institutions and conceptual framework of the…

In these 10 essays, 5 European and 5 American political and religious leaders examine the ethics of possessing and using nuclear weapons. They appraise the policy of nuclear deterrence. Protestant and Catholic viewpoints are represented. There are disagreements on details and differences in emphasis on positions and policies. There is general…

Topics concerned with the experiments and problems of self-rule in Third World societies are presented in nine essays. The essays are: (1) "Democracy in Iran: The Untenable Dream" (John D. Stempel); (2) "Afghanistan's Struggle for National Liberation" (Hafizullah Emadi); (3) "Turkey's Experience with Political…

A simulation designed for an introductory college-level international politics and comparative foreign policy course is described. Regional Crisis requires student decision-maker diplomats, grouped in teams, to respond to a Middle Eastern crisis that has substantial potential for escalation. In response to an initial crisis scenario, student teams…

Among the many movements of modern times for the advancement of civilization and the relief of humanity from unnecessary burdens of expenditure and of paralyzing fear, none is more significant than that for arbitration and world-wide peace. This movement has been made possible by the education of the masses of the people in all the more…

This document, a handbook for teaching peace education, is for use as part of a carefully planned strategy to achieve both the substantive and normative goals of peace education. Objectives include knowledge of the causes of violence and injustice and the possibilities of transcending them and attitudes favoring the behavioral and structural…

Much of the rhetoric used by world leaders is one of violence, based on destructive myths and images, which increases the probability of war. Such leaders attempt to persuade the public that militarism, threats, and sociopolitical superiority are effective strategies for peace, when in fact they maximize cultural and political differences. The…

Paper presented at the Fifteenth Duke University Conference on Teaching the Social Studies.

The conflict in Bosnia (Yugoslavia) has confronted U.S. leaders with fundamental questions about the use and capability of U.S. power abroad. This document brings the decision facing the United States into the classroom. The unit features a set of four divergent options for U.S. policy toward the Bosnian conflict, and a brief account of…

Twenty-eight conference participants, consisting of diplomats, government officials, and scholars, strongly urged the General Assembly to begin preparations for a 1985 meeting of the heads of state of the United Nation's 157 member nations. The purpose of the summit would be to provide an opportunity for the members to reaffirm their support of…

The roots of international law are long and ancient. Archaeologists have unearthed treaties between two Mesopotamian rulers dating back to 3100 B.C. Of all the ancient peoples, the development of modern international law owes the most to the Romans. The 20th century saw two attempts to bring world order through the use of international…

The resource unit prepares seventh through twelfth grade students for peace, helping them to develop an interest in peace, to realize that it is possible, and to recognize their future role in peacekeeping. Activities are included which help the student understand and assess his own and others' attitudes and beliefs toward peace; examine the…