Great International Resources for Students & Teachers
Posted: January 13, 2012 Filed under: Africa, Asia, Current Events, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Resources, Student, Teachers 1 Comment »We at the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh are always looking for ways to help out our students and teachers learn more about the world. In that vein, we have put together a list of some of our favorite online educational resources. These links include a wide range of information, including facts, photos, videos, podcasts, books, discussion boards, and lesson plans.
We have identified some general international resources at the top of the list. After the break, you’ll find information and resources relating to Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
General
CIA World Factbook An excellent compilation of country facts (i.e. population, geography, etc.).
CNN for Teachers and Students Spotlights the day’s current events and offers printable quizzes, discussion questions, and maps.
National Geographic Kids A variety of resources are present on this website, including an online atlas with road, satellite, physical, and theme maps (population density, weather, and natural resources) as well as country profiles and pictures from around the world.
New York Times for Teachers and Students This blog highlights the day’s events, but also offers everything from lesson plans for teachers and comment boxes for students.
Outreach World This website offers a wealth of information for teaching students about the world. Under ‘Download Instructional Materials,’ it is possible to search for lesson plans by region of the world and age group.
PBS for Teachers Exclusively for teachers, this site acts as a network for lesson planning, programming, and resource guides.
PBS News Hour for Teachers and Students Offers lesson plans for teachers, but is also a great resource for students looking to comment on and follow world events.
Peace Corps World-Wise Schools Also provides lesson plans and resources created by Peace Corps volunteers around the world.
Time for Kids Interactive and informative, and is applicable to teachers and students. The site has sections with age-specific material.
Region-specific resources can be found after the jump.
Year in Review: International Affairs in 2011
Posted: January 3, 2012 Filed under: Africa, Arab Spring, Asia, Current Events, Egypt, Europe, globalization, Human Rights, international development, Middle East, National Security, Pittsburgh, Resources, Technology, Travel, Twitter Leave a comment »
Happy New Year, everyone! 2012 is off to a snowy start here in Pittsburgh, and this seems like a perfect time to review what has happened over the past 360-some odd days.
As always, the global stage was full of tumult and change: 2011 saw the deaths of influential world figures (Warren Christopher, Muammar Gaddafi, Vaclav Havel, Steve Jobs, Kim Jong-Il, and Osama bin Laden, for example); uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa; the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq; devastating natural disasters (earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, typhoon in the Philippines, floods in south-east Asia, and famine in the Horn of Africa); and economic crisis in Europe.
We’ve scoured the web to find some of the best of the “2011 in Review” resources, and compiled them below. Are there any we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments.
2011 Year in Review (Reuters): Photos and descriptions of the most important news stories of the year, including a dramatic 60-second multimedia video presentation of the key stories, and some of the top images from 2011.
Best Articles of 2011 (Foreign Policy Magazine): Although not necessarily highlighting the most important news stories of the year, here are the most-read articles from foreignpolicy.com in 2011.
Best International Relations Books of 2011 (Foreign Affairs): In every issue of Foreign Affairs, scholars review recent academic and nonfiction books. At the end of 2011, the reviewers were asked to select the best ones. Here you will find the best books in a number of categories, including: Western Europe; the Middle East; the Western Hemisphere; Eastern Europe; Economic, Social, and Environmental Subjects; Asia; Africa; the United States; Military, Scientific, and Technological Subjects; and Political and Legal Subjects.
Personal Favorites from 2011 (A Realist in an Ideological Age): Stephen M. Walt is a professor of international affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and writes a blog, A Realist in an Ideological Age, for Foreign Policy. In this post, he shares his favorite blog posts from the past year, all of which are worth a read.
Shots Seen ‘Round the World (Foreign Policy Magazine): Fifty of the best/most important photographs from 2011, as selected by Foreign Policy.
Top 5 Foreign Policy Books in 2011 (Foreign Policy Association): The FPA asked its staff, editors, writers and bloggers to select the best books about foreign policy. Here is what they came up with.
Top 5 International Documentaries of 2011 (Foreign Policy Association): The FPA asked its staff, editors, writers and bloggers to select the best international documentaries on issues related to U.S. foreign policy. Here is what they came up with.
Twitter’s 2011 Year in Review (Twitter): It is no secret that social media is playing an increasing role in current events. Here is a look at some of the key stories, hot topics, and important moments of 2011 — as seen on Twitter.
Your Top 10 Stories of 2011 (The Guardian): Links to the top ten news stories of the year, as selected by readers.
The Year in Foreign Policy (Foreign Policy Association): The FPA looks at several key foreign policy events that promise to shape the coming year, including the 2012 election.
Year in Review (Foreign Policy Blogs Network): The FPA’s blog network has a number of great, topic-specific “Year in Review” posts, all of which can be found here. Read about 2011 in Russia or Israel, or the year in Global Food Security or War Crimes (to name just a few).
The Northeast Regional Model Arab League Conference
Posted: November 10, 2011 Filed under: Middle East, Resources Leave a comment »
Students gather to discuss and draft a resolution during a committee session. (Photo credit: Allegra Harris & Lara Cole)
Universities in attendance included United States Military Academy at West Point, Colby College, Simmons College, Converse College, Northeastern University, Bard College, Endicott College, Emmanuel College, MIT, Drake University, Roger Williams University, Fitchburg State University, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and the University of Pittsburgh. Each university is assigned a country or countries to represent in Model Arab League. Students then choose which committees they’d like to participate in. This year, twelve students from the University of Pittsburgh’s Session: Middle East club attended the conference representing the country of Lebanon.
The three-day long conference is a simulation of the challenges that the Arab League as an international organization faces in addressing impending domestic and international issues pertinent to its Arab member states. Just as in the actual Arab League body, students must adhere to parliamentary procedure and observe appropriate, professional decorum at all times, as well as strictly adhere to the actual policies, ideologies, and worldviews of their respective countries. Each committee, which is headed by a committee chair who moderates debate and enforces the rules, addresses an agenda of four issues and either drafts or supports a resolution that is in the country’s best interest. Debates can get heated and passionate, but also humorous as students interact with each other more during committee sessions and during free time.
By the end of the conference on Sunday, students have gained more knowledge, creativity, and leadership skills than any class could ever teach. By providing a setting for active participation, direct communication, and compromise, Model Arab League encourages and promotes open mindedness, tolerance, and global awareness among the future leaders and decision makers in international affairs.
To learn more about the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, visit http://www.ncusar.org/.
To learn more about Model Arab League, future conference dates, and how to participate, visit http://ncusar.org/modelarableague/.
-Krista, World Affairs Council Intern
The Death of Anwar al-Awlaki
Posted: September 30, 2011 Filed under: Middle East, National Security, Terrorism Leave a comment »
This new development has many asking about al-Awlaki: who he was, what his death means, and whether the action was even legal. Here are a few articles and blog posts to help you better understand the situation.
Drone strike kills U.S.-born al Qaeda cleric al-Awlaki, U.S. officials say (CNN): The main news article from today.
The Myth of Anwar al-Awlaki (Foreign Policy): A fairly in-depth article from August, 2011 about Awlaki.
Anwar al-Awlaki: Gone But Not Forgotten (Foreign Policy): An opinion piece looking at Awlaki’s role and the future of al-Qaeda in Yemen after his death.
Anwar al-Awlaki: al Qaeda’s rock star no more (CNN): A different perspective on Yemen and al-Qaeda, post-Awlaki.
Al Qaeda’s Not Dead Yet (Brookings): Another opinion on the future al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.
Yemeni Cleric’s Killing: Praise and Unease (Council on Foreign Relations): An overview of the issues surrounding Awlaki’s (targeted) killing.
Was Killing American al Qaeda Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Legal? (Time): A look at some of the legal issues and debate involved with the drone strike that killed al-Awlaki, and implications for future cases.
Was Anwar al-Awlaki still a U.S. Citizen? (Foreign Policy): A brief blog post asserting that al-Awlaki was in fact, still a U.S. citizen when he was killed.
Is Obama’s Use of State Secrets Privilege the New Normal? (The Nation): An article from (almost exactly) one year ago discussing civil liberties, state secrets, and Anwar al-Awlaki. Food for thought.
Up-to-Date Information on the Arab Spring
Posted: September 30, 2011 Filed under: Arab Spring, Middle East, Resources Leave a comment »
The topic of this year’s World Affairs Institute is “The Arab Awakening: A Call to Change in the Middle East and Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy.” Because this issue is ever-evolving, we have created a blog with up-to-date information on current affairs in the region.
You can find the blog at http://waipittsburgh.wordpress.com — this link has been added to our Blogroll on the right-hand side for added convenience.
You can subscribe to this blog, bookmark the link for regularly updated information, or — if you are searching for information on a certain country — you can select the category from the list on the right-hand side. You’ll find resources on Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the UAE, Yemen, and more.
If you’re searching for specific information regarding the Arab Spring that you’re not able to find, leave a comment and we’ll see what we can do!
Happy reading!
Day 3 at the SSWA: Arab Spring and US National Interests
Posted: June 15, 2011 Filed under: Arab Spring, Middle East, Summer Seminar on World Affairs Leave a comment »Today the Summer Seminar welcomed Dr. Christina Michelmore, chair of Chatham University’s History Department who specializes in modern Middle Eastern history, to discuss the Arab Spring and its implications for US Foreign Policy.
Egyptian protesters filled Tahrir Square
She began by providing some background on US policy in the region. Traditionally, that policy has been based on two primary interests: the security of the supply of Persian Gulf oil at reasonable prices and the security of Israel. However, often these two interests conflict.
Since the 1970s, the US has pursued three major policy tracks. First, it has sought a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Second, it has tried to exclude or at least contain hostile external or regional forces. Third, it has supported stable states; that is, those who are friendly towards the US and not overtly hostile towards Israel.
It may come as a surprise to some people to realize just how many allies the US has in the Middle East. Egypt and Jordan have been crucial partners in the Arab-Israeli conflict; Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and especially Saudi Arabia are key oil producers; the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is located in Bahrain; Qatar is a center of media and education; Oman guards the strategic Straits of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil must travel; and Yemen has been important to the fight against terrorism. All of these countries have some sort of official alliance with the US.
On the other side of the equation, Iraq and Lebanon cannot be considered strong allies because their internal instability makes them unpredictable. However, both tend to be more focused on internal issues. Meanwhile, Iran and Syria are declared opponents of the US and Israel.
Dr. Michelmore also explained that the tensions between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims play into the instability in the Middle East. Whichever branch is not represented by the governing elite often faces discrimination, and many governments face large minority populations. Also, many citizens identify more strongly as either Sunni or Shi’a than with a national identity.
US policy has typically supported autocratic regimes in the Middle East if they served our interests, despite the fact that such governments did not share our values. After September 11, 2001, policymakers shifted more towards the idea of democracy promotion; however, this effort was soon frustrated when in some cases free choice led to instability or unfriendly governments (for example, violence in Iraq and the election of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories).
Dr. Michelmore then shifted the focus to the wave of popular protests that began last December in Tunisia and have since spread to most other Middle Eastern and North African countries, known as the Arab Spring. These protests have been led by young people (under the age of 35); have utilized civil disobedience (peaceful protests), social media and cell phones; and have common demands (replace autocracies with democracies, improve education, provide jobs, end favoritism, and protect rights and freedoms.)
She also outlined the principle challenges and risks. First of all, it is difficult for the US to support protesters when we are allied with their governments. Second, we don’t know how it will turn out. For example, is it likely to result in the establishment of democracies in the Middle East?
>EMEA Mondays: A Primer on Islamic Finance
Posted: October 4, 2010 Filed under: Islam, Middle East Leave a comment »>How does getting a loan without paying interest sound? Impossible? Not if you get a loan from an Islamic bank. Islamic banking principles are guided by Sharia, or Islamic law. Generally, that means Islamic banks can’t charge you interest (riba) on the loan (Islam says it’s unethical to make money off of money that you personally did not work to earn) and, in the case of stockbrokers, not investing in firms that deal with things that are haram, or forbidden, e.g. pork, alcohol, pornography (in some ways, similar to socially responsible investing).
The Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance says that anyone can receive a loan from an Islamic bank (they do not need to be Muslim), but the individual must accept the terms of the loan according to Sharia. Islamic finance prohibits trading in derivatives or futures (assets that derive their value from some other object, or derivatives that are agreed to be bought for a future specified sum, e.g. agreeing to purchase units of currency in the future at the current exchange rate), as this would be considered speculation, another no-no according to Islamic finance principles.
Sukuk is another useful term to know. Similar to bonds in that they are used to finance existing projects, they use return on assets to pay the investors (who own portions of whatever the bonds are helping to raise money more) instead of interest.
Another one of the things that Islamic banking suggests is for the lender and the recipient to share equally in the risk of the loan. Generally, if a homeowner needs capital to purchase a house, an Islamic bank will buy the house in question, and lease it to the homeowner, until the all of the payments are made; then the homeowner will have his house in full. No interest is made, and if the homeowner can’t pay the money, the bank owns the property.
Do you think Islamic banking and finance sounds more ethical than traditional Western finance practices? Would you consider using an Islamic bank?
Also, read this article about Asia-Pacific universities adding courses in Islamic finance.
>Cleopatra’s Bathing Suit: Being a Woman in the Middle East
Posted: June 15, 2010 Filed under: Middle East, Travel 2 Comments »>
~Marie DeAeth, Intern Abroad
>Hello Camel: An Introduction to Egypt and the Baksheesh Economy
Posted: June 3, 2010 Filed under: Egypt, Middle East, Travel 3 Comments »>
What is baksheesh? It’s a tip, a little something extra, and sort of involves the idea of “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” Here’s how it works: The guys at my hostel, are getting a kickback from the driver, for sending us to him. Our driver (he was really a sweetheart of a guy named Sameh, and a great tour guide) after Saqqara and Dahshur pyrmaids takes us to an incense maker and a papyrus shop. Should we buy something there, he gets a kickback from the shop guys. And these kickbacks are not taken from the actual price of the item, but merely added on top of the already inflated prices applied to foreigners. I had no doubt this was going on but the shop guys were really friendly, and suckered me in with free Turkish coffee, so I knowingly bought an overpriced papyrus map. It was only my first day, and it didn’t really bother me. But this is only the tip of the baksheesh iceberg. The guy who loads your bag on the bus, lifting it all of three feet, expects a tip. Anyone who just starts giving you a tour of a mosque . . . expects baksheesh. The children hanging about at the Sphinx who offer to take your picture may say that it’s free, but then immediately demand some cash for the service. When Sameh takes us to our last stop, the pyramids of Giza, we get out of the car, to a chorus of “Hello, Camel!” The phrase is supposed to sound like a question, offering camel rides but I start to feel like maybe they think my name is “Camel.” Sameh conveniently leads us to his friend’s stable where they try to sell us camel rides. I proceed to throw down some of my best haggling skills, and trust me, I love a good haggle. I worked it down to a price that I thought was almost reasonable, only to find out a few days later that I still paid far too much. Such is the baksheesh economy.
Of course, it would be unfair of me to complain about the baksheesh economy without mentioning that I have experienced a slew of instances of wonderful Egyptian hospitality and kindness. In addition to countless people who have given me directions on the street and various other things, two particularly nice examples come to mind. When a friend and I were in Alexandria wandering some back streets in search of food, we came across a street food vendor doling out the last of his lunch portions. He insisted on giving us his last two spicy beef and liver sandwiches . . . for free! Sidenote- apparently, when its in a spicy Egyptian sandwich, I like liver! Who knew?
By far, though, the best experience with Egyptian hospitality came from Peter, an Egyptian guy who I met working at the Tanta Waa Cafe in the Siwa Oasis. Quite randomly, he invited me and my friend Paul to go with himself and some others to a hot spring favored by locals. He seemed confused when I asked him, “How much?” He said it was free because he was going with a friend anyway, and he could drive us if we would like to join them. My friend and I, perhaps jaded by all the baksheesh and scams to squeeze money out of tourists, were skeptical to say the least. Thankfully though, I trusted my gut and we were treated to an amazing (and entirely free) evening of relaxing in a hot spring completely surrounded by a desert vista blanketed in stars. Peter turned out to be a really cool guy and we are now Facebook friends.
Egypt, the birthplace of civilization, has so far been utterly astounding. In addition to the pyramids and Siwa Oasis that I just mentioned I’ve also seen incredible Greco-Roman ruins in Alexandria including some crazy-impressive catacombs, the library of Alexandria (a must if you are a library nerd like myself), and the temples at Luxor and Karnak. Currently I am typing this while sitting on the roof of my hostel in Luxor, baking in what has to be 90 degrees Fahrenheit at 9pm. Yes, apparently I’m stuck in the middle of a heat wave that is incredibly hot even for the locals. Despite the heat, the baksheesh, and all the dirt and dust, I am completely in love with Egypt.
