We are taking a little break from the academic essay writing and doing some creative writing. In connection with our study of the Cold War during which nuclear technology played such a tremendous role in shaping the world, we will be writing short stories based in futuristic projections of current technologies. Today we generated ideas of how some of our current technologies might be 50 or 100 years in the future. We then considered ways in which teenage problems might be intertwined with some of those technologies. A story is simply characters trying to work their way out of a problem. By Tuesday, students should have a solid idea of the problem their characters will face (as it relates to the future technology).
Core
Bellwrite #32: Why would countries like Greece be attracted to communism?
We discussed the Truman Doctrine. We noted that it establishes a U.S. foreign policy to give aid in support of freedom and stop the spread of communism (containment). This aid, at the time, took the form of financial aid and military training, to address the two reasons the people embrace communism (according to Truman): poverty and strife (war).
We also discussed the following:
How does Truman define free nations?
In what ways does the U.S. today actually fall under the second way of life Truman opposes?
Students passed off their memorization today and turned in their Red Scarf Girl essays.
Homework:
Read and annotate the United Nations handout (see below).
Spelling/vocab check tomorrow.
Answer the questions about the Truman Doctrine with 1-2 paragraphs each:
- What is the Truman Doctrine?
- How has the Truman Doctrine affected U.S. foreign policy in the past 67 years?
The
United Nations
The United Nations is an organization
that focuses on developing and enforcing international laws and policies. The
main goals of the UN are to achieve peace, social progress and economic
development. The organization was founded after the end of World War II in 1945
as a way of replacing the failing League of Nations. There are currently 192
nations that are a member of the United Nations, and this includes all
sovereign nations in the world except the Vatican. The Headquarters of the
United Nations is located in New York City in the United States; the current
President is Li Baodong of China.
The UN has several assemblies. The General Assembly is the main body of the UN and meets yearly. Each
session lasts several weeks. During the first two weeks, all members are given
the opportunity to address the assembly and bring items to the attention of the
board. The General Assembly also votes on important issues. A two-thirds
majority is needed in order to approve a law, an election or expulsion of a
member.
The Security Council
is a division of the United Nations whose goal is to maintain peace between
nations. This is the only council with the power to make binding decisions
which the members must carry out. All other councils can only make
recommendations. Fifteen nations have members on the Security Council. Five of
these are permanent and ten are temporary. China, Russia, France, the United
Kingdom and the United States are the only permanent members.
The International
Court of Justice is a division of the United Nations that is responsible
for international trials and legal decisions. Its headquarters are located in
the Netherlands. This court has heard cases of war crimes, ethnic cleansing and
the like. The International Criminal Court is a division that began operation
in 2002. This court judges those who have tried to commit war crimes and
genocide across several nations and have violated international law in doing
so.
The United Nations also includes several specialized
agencies that work on particular issues. For example, the World Health
Organization is dedicated to improving the health status of those in
impoverished nations and ensuring that nations provide adequate health care for
their citizens.
Funding for the United Nations comes from voluntary donations
by member nations. The General Assembly is responsible for overseeing the
budget and determining the capacity of each nation to pay based on their gross
domestic product, or GDP. Less developed nations are asked to contribute less
and instead advised to use their resources to improve the status of their
nations.
Debating the
Effectiveness of the United Nations
In recent years, participants in the United Nations debate
have questioned the organization’s effectiveness. Those who criticize the
organization often feel that the small administrative structure undermines the
UN's peace keeping mission. Also, there are few repercussions in place for
nations that do not follow mandates. Permanent members of the Security Council
have been known to avoid mandates themselves because they cannot lose their
status as members as easily. Still, many people believe that the United Nations
provides a great basis for international relationships. Though the organization
was founded over 50 years ago, it is still able to oversee the international
court system and bring justice to many dangerous criminals. Without the United
Nations, the world would be a very different place.
Preamble to the Charter of the United
Nations
Background
The
Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international
organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War
Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June
1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries. (Poland, the other original
member, which was not represented at the conference, signed it two months
later.) It entered into force on 24 October 1945, after being ratified by the
five permanent members of the Security Council—the Republic of China under
Chapter II of the United Nations Charter (and currently by the People's
Republic of China), France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (later
replaced by the Russian Federation), the United Kingdom, and the United
States—and a majority of the other signatories.
Preamble
We the peoples
of the United Nations determined
·
to
save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our
lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
·
to
reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and
small, and
·
to
establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations
arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained,
and
·
to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
And for these
ends
·
to
practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good
neighbours, and
·
to
unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
·
to
ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that
armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
·
to
employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social
advancement of all peoples,
Have resolved
to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims
Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.
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