by Bernd Debusmann | 18 Sep 2023 | Decoders, Educators' Catalog, History, Politics, Ukraine, World
When Russia invaded Ukraine, the “international community” stood back. But is there such a thing? What, if anything, can bring the world together? The entrance to the United Nations in Geneva is obscured by the emblems of a dozen international economic and...
Blaming the “international community” for inaction is easy. But does this community actually exist, or is it just tantamount to the United States and company? Correspondent Bernd Debusmann runs it down in this Decoder.
Exercise: Divide students into nine groups. Each group will be assigned one of the regional organizations mentioned in the article: NATO, European Union, Arab League, G-7, G-20, ASEAN, OAS, African Union, BRICS. Groups should research their assigned organization and identify the organization’s main objectives and stance on current international tensions (e.g. war in Ukraine, economic sanctions on North Korea, nuclear proliferation, etc.). Can these regional groups work together to create a true international community, or are their interests too disparate?
by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 20 Jul 2023 | History, Malaysia, Media Literacy, Science
What one correspondent learned by writing an “enhanced biography” of a little-known 19th-century teenager from Borneo. The 15-year-old Malay, known to history only as “Ali” is featured on this graffiti signboard in Ternate, Indonesia. The artist refers to Wallace’s...
by Jonathan Thatcher | 31 Mar 2023 | Climate decoders, Writing's on the Wall
Billions in international funds have gone to weaning the populous nation off coal. But the country continues to build coal plants despite its pledge to go green. A woman leads her goats as Suralaya coal power plant looms in the background in Cilegon, Indonesia, 8...
by John West | 24 Jun 2022 | Economy, Human Rights, Politics, World
Many have predicted this would be the ‘Asian Century.’ But the world is increasingly fractured as we enter a new “Cold War.” Elderly wait for a free vegetarian lunch in Dingxing, southwest of Beijing, China, 13 May 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) For some...
by Jonathan Thatcher | 31 May 2022 | Human Rights, Politics, Ukraine
Dictators can be loathed. But their abrupt departure from office can trigger turmoil because they have put themselves alone at the centre of power. U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland, 16 June 2021 (Saul Loeb/Pool via...