by Daniel Warner | 1 Dec 2023 | Educators' Catalog, History, Politics, United States
Henry Kissinger died on the 29th of November. Our correspondent remembers the one time he had the opportunity to question him directly about his lauded career. U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger being congratulated 16 October 1973 by U.S. President Richard Nixon...
Henry Kissinger’s death made headlines at the end of November 2023. This famous diplomat sparks controversy. How should he be remembered? Correspondent Daniel Warner reflects on his brief interaction with Kissinger in Geneva back in 1999.
Exercise: Read the article with your class, then review headlines announcing Kissinger’s death from various media sources. How does the wording of these headlines differ? How does that difference change the way a reader may perceive Kissinger’s legacy? Use this activity as a conversation starter to discuss the power of word choice in media bias and framing.
by Daniel Warner | 21 Nov 2023 | Decoders, Educators' Catalog, History, Middle East, 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.
by Daniel Warner | 24 Feb 2023 | Decoders, Russia, Ukraine
It was naive to think Russia’s long history as an empire would end peaceably in just two decades. One year after the invasion, our correspondent looks back. President of Russia Vladimir Putin at the 2022 Victory Parade in Red Square, Moscow, to mark the...
by Daniel Warner | 13 Oct 2022 | Politics, Russia, Ukraine, World
Russia’s president has raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. That’s a frightful notion. But it might not violate international law. Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles in Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow,...
by Daniel Warner | 4 Feb 2022 | Politics, Ukraine
Reminiscent of tensions during the Cold War, the Ukraine crisis represents the most serious East-West confrontation since the end of the Soviet Union. A Ukrainian guard patrols the border with Russia near Hoptivka village, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, 2 February 2022. (AP...
For a deeper dive into the history leading up to the war in Ukraine, consider this report from Daniel Warner, a political scientist, lecturer and expert in international organizations. While diplomatic negotiations have failed, the article provides an overview to decode historic ties between Russia and Ukraine, NATO’s actions, the potential impact on energy supply chains and thoughts on the future of the security architecture of international alliances.
Exercise: This article was written three weeks before the conflict began. Ask students to compare the theoretical discussion of conflict to what is happening in reality. What do they think was the tipping point for Russia to invade?
