For decades nations of the world abided by some basic international rules. What happens when this international order breaks down? Someone erases three rules for the world on a chalkboard. (Photo illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced exclusively for...
The idea behind the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is that an attack on one is an attack on all. But is that only for those who can pay? The 30 member flags and large steel NATO Star sculpture at the main entrance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)...
The 121 countries of the Non-Aligned Movement agree on one thing: It is time to assert their place in a divided world. A Risk game board of the world with cracks in it. (Illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s global...
Vladimir Putin has held power in Russia since before the turn of the millennium. Political opponents haven’t had a chance against him. Is that still true? Yekaterina Duntsova, second right, submits her documents as a presidential candidate for the upcoming...
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.