The U.N. Convenes in New York
The 73rd United Nations General Assembly convened in New York City last week. As was the case last year, U.S. President Donald Trump invoked themes of sovereignty while addressing the delegates. Other world leaders defended multilateralism.
Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for The U.N. Convenes in New York
Links
“Conflict can lead to positive change, ‘if we learn from it’, South Sudan tells the UN Assembly”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/09/1021382
“Netanyahu, in U.N. speech, claims secret Iranian nuclear site”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-assembly-israel-iran/netanyahu-in-un-speech-claims-secret-iranian-nuclear-site-idUSKCN1M72FZ
“The 73rd United Nations General Assembly in 10 points”
http://www.africanews.com/2018/09/25/the-73rd-united-nations-general-assembly-in-10-points/
“Trump and Macron seek to smooth over differences ahead of U.N. General Assembly”
hhttps://www.france24.com/en/20180925-usa-france-united-nations-trump-macron-smooth-differences-ahead-un-general-assembly
“Pakistan FM: War with India is not an option”
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/inthefield/2018/09/pakistan-fm-war-option-solution-dialogue-180927085048786.html
“Editorial: The U.N. is the joke”
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorial-The-UN-is-the-joke-568238
“The U.N. General Assembly Was A Disaster For Palestinians”
https://forward.com/opinion/411208/the-un-general-assembly-was-a-disaster-for-palestinians/
“Trump is a laughing stock. But if we weren’t laughing, we’d be crying.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/25/trump-laughingstock-un-general-assembly
“Opinion: An Imperfect U.N. is still the world’s best hope”
https://ewn.co.za/2018/09/26/opinion-an-imperfect-u-n-is-still-the-world-s-best-hope
“Editorial: A Perfect Work of Evasion”
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/.premium-a-perfect-work-of-evasion-1.6513222
Assessment
- Writing: What are some reasons why many world leaders find the United Nations to be a deficient institution?
- Debate: Multilateral institutions like the United Nations should be significantly strengthened.
- Poll: How many of you think the United Nations is a particularly effective institution?
- Short Answer: What is at the core of the debate between calling for state sovereignty versus those calling for strengthening multilateral institutions?
Current events quiz:
1) How many member states make up the United Nations today?
a. 50
b. 63
c. 193
d. 250
2) The United Nations addresses concerns such as
a. global health and climate change.
b. nuclear disarmament and terrorism.
c. education and sustainable development.
d. all of the above
3) UNICEF is an organization that
a. combats terrorism in the Middle East.
b. helps children in need around the world.
c. makes sure all nations in the U.N. are following the rule of regulations.
d. none of the above
4) True or false: the United Nations was the first international body with a goal of promoting peace, not war. (T/F)
5) True or false: The United Nations was a replacement of the failed League of Nations, established after World War 1 by Woodrow Wilson. (T/F)
6) True or false: Only one country has ever withdrawn their membership from the U.N., and they ultimately rejoined. (T/F)
Answers:
1) C
2) D
3) B
4) F
5) T
6) T
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