by Daniel Warner | 16 Sep 2024 | Decoders, Educators' Catalog, History, Human Rights, Politics
Russia didn’t attend the 75th birthday of the Geneva Conventions. Are the treaties that govern how nations conduct war still relevant in today’s chaotic world? Members of the UN Security Council mark the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva...
Use this piece to explore international relations, geopolitics, the politics and history of conflict. Last month marked the 75th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Russia didn’t attend. Political Scientist Daniel Warner decodes whether the treaties that govern how nations conduct war are still relevant in today’s chaotic world.
Exercise: Debate. Split students into groups. In each group, divide students into two teams. One will defend the Geneva Conventions, the other is against the conventions. In preparation, watch this video and share the ICRC website. Each team undertakes research to build an argument for their case. Ask students to debate the issue. After the debate, discuss the difficulties teams had in supporting their arguments.
by Alistair Lyon | 31 Jul 2024 | Asia, Decoder Replay, History, Politics
Change in leadership in the two countries brings the possibility of rapport. But there is a long history of hostility that is hard to overcome. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, speaks after giving his official seal of approval to newly-elected President...
by Karolina Krakowiak | 5 Jun 2024 | Europe, Poland, Politics, Wh-Y Vote
Young people in Poland know that European integration is important. But they struggle to connect to political bodies that seem far away. People wave both European and Polish flags at a rally conducted by opposition party ahead of the general election in Warsaw, Poland...
by Daniel Warner | 24 May 2024 | Decoders, Human Rights, Israel-Palestine, Middle East, Politics, Russia, United States
The rule of law applies when enemies commit crimes. For national allies, the same crime isn’t necessarily a crime. Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu against a backdrop of a court. (Illustration by News Decoder) Is there a rule of law for the United States...
by Daniel Warner | 21 Nov 2023 | Decoders, Educators' Catalog, History, Israel-Palestine, Politics, Russia, Ukraine
There is an evolving global consensus that some acts of violence in warfare are not acceptable. But how in the world can we enforce that? Headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. This article was produced exclusively for News...
Headlines about today’s international conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine paint atrocious pictures of war crimes and violent attacks. Are these actions sanctioned in the eyes of international humanitarian law? Correspondent and political science professor Daniel Warner of the Graduate Institute in Geneva gives an overview.
Exercise: Using this summary document from the Red Cross, print out 30-40 articles from the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Cut each article out separately. Then, prepare a large board/poster for sorting and pasting the articles, divided into four sections: civilians, prisoners of war, wounded/sick, critical infrastructure. Have students read through each article and sort them within the four categories. As they learn more about the Conventions, you may consider bringing in current headlines to evaluate whether or not today’s conflicts have abided by these international humanitarian laws. Note: Consider creating 4-5 sets of article texts and sorting posters if you have a large class, or create a digital version via Google Slides.
