Nobel prize https://www.morningsidecenter.org/ en Nobel Peace Prize: Seeking Peace in a Warring World https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/nobel-peace-prize-seeking-peace-warring-world <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Nobel Peace Prize: Seeking Peace in a Warring World</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h4>Objectives:</h4> <p>&nbsp;Students will</p> <ul> <li>Learn about the history and nominating process for the Nobel Peace Prize and about its founder, Alfred Nobel</li> <li>Learn about different kinds of peacemakers who have won in the past</li> <li>Learn about the 2013 winner and the threat of chemical warfare</li> <li>Read and discuss articles about the controversy over this year's prize</li> <li>Make their own nominations for the 2014 prize</li> </ul> <h4><br> Skills:</h4> <ul> <li>Negotiation</li> <li>Critical thinking</li> <li>Research</li> </ul> <h4>Materials needed:</h4> <ul> <li>Today's agenda on chart paper or on the board</li> <li>Chart paper (or space on the board) for a Nobel Peace Prize Web, chemical warfare web, and peacemaker brainstorming exercise</li> <li>Map of the world</li> <li>Blank sheets of paper and envelopes for everyone in the class</li> <li>Copies of articles about the controversy surrounding this year's prize:</li> <li class="articleHeadline rteindent1"><nyt_headline type=" " version="1.0"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/12/opinion/the-problem-with-the-prize.html?_r=0">Don't Blame the Norwegians </a>(NY Times op-ed)</nyt_headline></li> <li class="rteindent1"><nyt_byline><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/a-peace-prize-worthy-of-the-name.html?ref=nobelprizes&amp;_r=0">A Peace Prize Worthy of the Name?</a>&nbsp;(NY Times letters)</nyt_byline></li> </ul> <p><nyt_byline></nyt_byline></p> <h4><br> Optional:</h4> <p>The Nobel Prize website (<a href="http://www.nobelprize.org">www.nobelprize.org</a>) has a wealth of information about the Peace Prize and all the other prizes, including educational computer games and&nbsp; biographical information about past winners. Students who are interested could be directed to the site and asked to report back on what they find.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;<br> Gathering</h4> <p>&nbsp;Ask students to think about what peace means to them. Is it the absence of conflict? Is it a feeling of contentment? Is it a feeling of hope?<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Ask students to break into groups of four.&nbsp; Each student will have one minute to list things and/or people who help them feel at peace or peaceful. Call out time at the end of each minute so that each student in the group gets a turn.</p> <p>Reconvene the group and ask for ideas that you can write on the board or chart paper.</p> <h4><br> Check agenda and objectives<br> &nbsp;</h4> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;<br> Web: The Nobel Peace Prize</h4> <p>Explain that in October, Nobel Prizes were awarded in several categories, but that the prize that usually gets the most publicity is the Nobel Peace Prize.&nbsp; The winner of the prize will receive it in a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on December 10, 2013.<br> &nbsp;<br> Tell the students that today we will talk about why the Peace Prize was established, who provided the idea and money for it, and what kind of people and organizations receive it.&nbsp; We will talk about how the committee that awards the prize makes its decisions and about&nbsp; controversies over these decisions.<br> &nbsp;<br> Write the words "Nobel Peace Prize" in the center of the chart paper and ask the students what they know about&nbsp;it. Write down their responses and draw lines back to the center, creating a web. &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> When you come to a stopping place, ask students to pause for a moment and look at the web. Ask, what are your observations, comments, or thoughts about the web?<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>About the Nobel Prize</h4> <p>Tell students that the Peace Prize was established by Alfred Nobel in his will.<br> &nbsp;<br> Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and inventor who lived from 1833 to 1896. His most famous invention was dynamite, which has many peaceful as well as war-making uses. He became a millionaire as a result of his inventions and his shrewd business sense. Even though his own inventions could be used in war, he hoped that the danger of such inventions would keep people from using them.<br> &nbsp;<br> When he died, Nobel left most of his money to fund what has become known as the Nobel Prize. He created the prize to encourage others to seek peace, and to be creative in their research and inventions.<br> &nbsp;<br> There are Nobel prizes in chemistry, economics, medicine, physics, literature, and peace. All the prizes except the Peace Prize are given in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.&nbsp; The Peace Prize is given in the capital of Norway, Oslo, earlier on the same day.<br> &nbsp;<br> Although Nobel's will stated that the other Nobel Prizes were to be awarded by Swedish institutions, he gave responsibility for the Peace Prize to Norway. The Norwegian Parliament selects the five-member Nobel Committee, which then considers nominations made by a wide range of people, and decides who will be awarded the prize. It's not clear why Nobel wanted Norway to administer the Peace Prize, instead of his native Sweden. At the time Nobel lived, Sweden had defeated Norway in a war, and the two countries shared the same king, although they were still two separate countries. (Point Sweden and Norway out on the map.)&nbsp; Some people think that Nobel didn't want Norway to feel slighted. Others think that he thought Norway was less militaristic than Sweden. Today, both countries have a reputation for being peaceful.<br> &nbsp;<br> Nobel's will said that the Peace Prize was to be given to persons who "shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses."&nbsp; Over the years, the Nobel Committee has interpreted those words to include humanitarian aid and the work of international organizations.<br> &nbsp;<br> Twenty-two organizations have received the Peace Prize. The International Red Cross has received it three times. &nbsp;Ask if anyone knows of other organizations that have won the award.&nbsp; Write down answers if students know any of the groups. Mention Doctors Without Borders, which provides medical help in war-torn countries, and Amnesty International, which helps political prisoners. In 2012, the European Union won because it has brought together countries that for centuries were at war with each other.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;<br> What is a peacemaker?</h4> <p>Go back to the list of words about peace that students created in the opening activity.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask students if they have any other ideas now that we've talked about people and organizations that have won the Peace Prize.&nbsp; What allows people to live in peace?&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Note that when Alfred Nobel was alive, most wars were between countries.&nbsp; The primary role of government was, and is, to protect its citizens.&nbsp; Since the end of the Second World War, though, most conflicts have been internal ones, inside countries. (However, very often these conflicts involve larger countries that do not fight each other openly but through backing factions within the warring country.)&nbsp; Examples include North Korea and South Korea, North Vietnam and South Vietnam, the former Yugoslavia, Congo, and Sudan. There is a civil war going on in Syria right now in which more than a hundred thousand &nbsp;people have died&nbsp; (See TeachableMoment lessons on the Syria conflict: <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/syria-today-what-it-means-be-syrian">What it means to be Syrian</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/syria-today-diplomatic-vs-military-responses">Syria today: Diplomatic vs. military responses</a>.)&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Our own country had a civil war &nbsp;more than 150 years ago whose wounds have not yet healed.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> The United Nations was formed after the Second World War to help countries solve their problems peacefully.<br> &nbsp;<br> The Nobel Peace Prize has been given to people who have worked out peace treaties (<strong>negotiators</strong>), people who have been go-betweens trying to get people to the negotiating table (<strong>mediators</strong>), and <strong>individuals</strong> who have led movements to bring about peace. (Students might have named some of the individuals who have received the Peace Prize on their web. If they didn't, add the names of Nelson Mandela of South Africa and&nbsp; Martin Luther King, Jr,&nbsp; Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama,&nbsp; who are&nbsp; U.S. laureates.&nbsp; You can visit the <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/index.html">Nobel Prize website</a>&nbsp;for a chronological list of winners.)<br> &nbsp;<br> For instance, Martin Luther King was a leader of the civil rights movement in the United States, which worked to fight prejudice against people of color.&nbsp; The civil rights conflicts of the time could be traced to our own civil war and to slavery, as can many of our present-day conflicts.&nbsp; The process of peacemaking is an ongoing one..<br> &nbsp;<br> The prize has also been given to <strong>organizations</strong>. Ask the class how they think an organization can help bring about peace. For instance, the United Nations has peacekeeping forces that are supposed to be neutral and can be sent to war-torn areas. The UN peacekeeping forces have won the Nobel Peace Prize.<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask students to break into small groups and think about how an organization could help bring about peace.&nbsp; Then reconvene the whole class and ask students to share their ideas with everyone.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><br> 2013 Peace Prize</h4> <p>Write "Organization to Prohibit Chemical Weapons" on a piece of chart paper.&nbsp; Tell students that this is the group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, and that will receive the award in December.<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask: What do you think this organization does?&nbsp; Make sure that the class understands that the organization works to "verify the elimination of chemical weapons from the world," a goal of many peace advocates for almost a hundred years.&nbsp; The organization was founded in 1997.<br> &nbsp;<br> Circle the words "chemical weapons" on the board or chart paper.&nbsp; Ask what the word evokes for the students and write down the words.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Chemical weapons are usually considered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) along with nuclear, biological, and radiological weapons because they can kill so many people so quickly and do so much damage to the biosphere. Most conflicts are fought with conventional weapons.&nbsp; Many governments have agreed to treaties and conventions to limit or ban the use of WMD. (A convention is defined by <em>Webster's</em> as "an agreement between states for regulation of matters affecting all of them.")&nbsp;</p> <p>However, some countries still make WMD and stockpile them. Chemical warfare has been used since the first hunter put poison on the tip of an arrow or sword.&nbsp; Archeologists have found bones of Roman soldiers who were gassed by fumes of sulfur and bitumen in an underground tunnel of a besieged city in 256 C.E.&nbsp;&nbsp; Tear gas is a chemical weapon.<br> &nbsp;<br> But the biggest <strong>mass</strong> use of chemical weapons was during the First World War. The effects were terrible and terrifying.&nbsp; Soldiers not only died in large numbers, many were blinded and burned and suffered nerve damage beyond anything ever seen.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> By 1925, countries around the globe had agreed to the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons. But there was no convention to prohibit countries from making or storing these weapons.&nbsp; During the Second World War, Adolf Hitler used chemical gas to kill 1.2 million people, most of them Jews or Polish or Soviet prisoners of war. After the war, one of the co-inventors of the gas was hanged as a war criminal and others were imprisoned. Several other countries have used chemical weapons on people in their own countries, such as Iraq against the Kurdish minority and, more recently, Syria. &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> In 1992-93, a convention was drawn up prohibiting the production and storage of chemical weapons. It went into effect in 1997, which is when the OPCW was formed.&nbsp; Almost every country in the world - some 190 - have signed the convention. Two countries have signed but not ratified, and four have neither signed nor ratified. Syria ratified the convention in September 2013.<br> &nbsp;<br> The use of chemical weapons was in the news in the months before the Nobel Committee awarded the prize. Syria was charged with using poison gas against civilians in August 2013, in the most deadly use of chemical weapons since the war between Iran and Iraq.&nbsp; The United States was talking about military retaliation against Syria for using such weapons when Russia helped mediate and negotiate a solution: Syria agreed to eliminate its chemical weapons.<br> &nbsp;<br> Still, as the time came for the Peace Prize winner to be announced, many people thought that Malala Yousafzi might win. Yousafzi, a young Pakistani woman, had been viciously attacked for attending a school for girls in Pakistan and for speaking out for the right of women to be educated.&nbsp; (See our TeachableMoment lesson: <a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/malala-standing-girls">Malala: Standing up for Girls</a>).&nbsp;Nominations for the prize had been made months before, and the nominations are kept secret for fifty years. This means that nobody knows who has been nominated or how the winner is chosen.&nbsp; When it announced the prize, the committee said that it was being given to OPCW "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons."<br> &nbsp;<br> Many people expect that in awarding the Peace Prize, the committee will consider how the prestige of the prize could best help the cause of peace, or will recognize people who have been working for peace for a long time.&nbsp; Some people criticized the decision to award the prize to OPCW because most of the deaths in the Syrian conflict have been caused by conventional weapons, not chemical weapons.&nbsp; Syria's stockpiles of chemical weapons are small compared to those of other countries. However, the committee was clear that the prize was for the organization's overall work against chemical weapons, not a response to what was happening in Syria.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask the students to read this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/12/opinion/the-problem-with-the-prize.html">op-ed from the <em>New York Times </em></a>about this year's prize.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Have students break into groups of four. Give them five minutes to discuss the piece. What did the writer say that they agree with?&nbsp; What did the writer say that they disagree with?<br> &nbsp;<br> Now ask the students to read these New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/a-peace-prize-worthy-of-the-name.html?ref=nobelprizes&amp;_r=0">letters to the editor</a> and then discuss briefly:<br> &nbsp;<br> What do they agree with and what do they disagree with?<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;<br> Nominate someone for the Peace Prize</h4> <p>The process for choosing a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 has already started.&nbsp; The Norwegian Nobel Committee started asking for nominations in September 2013.&nbsp; The deadline for nominations is February 2014.&nbsp; Nominations can only come from people with certain credentials (such as leading government officials or academicians in certain fields).<br> &nbsp;<br> Today, we're going to imagine that we're nominating someone.&nbsp; Each group of four students will make one&nbsp; nomination. Students should think of themselves as people involved in government, academia, or peace work.&nbsp; Ask each group to consider what is happening throughout the world - the big picture - and brainstorm about people they might want to nominate.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> You may want to give students time to research possible nominees as a homework assignment, and come back to class to agree on a nomination.&nbsp; After each group has decided on its nominee, the group will make its case for the nominee to the whole class.&nbsp; Once the groups have made their presentation,&nbsp;have the class vote to decide on one nominee.<br> &nbsp;<br> Afterwards, ask each student to write a letter to him or herself that includes the following:<br> 1) their thoughts about the nominee they themselves proposed in their group;&nbsp;<br> 2) their thoughts about the nominee that their group picked; and<br> 3) their thoughts about the nominee the whole class selected.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Ask students to put today's date on the letter, put the letter in an envelope, address it to themselves, and seal it.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;<br> Collect the envelopes and mail them in late September of next year so that students can see how their choices compare with that of the Nobel Committee.<br> &nbsp;<br> <em>Alternate Exercise:</em> Ask students to research people in their community who are working for peace and understanding, make nominations and advocate with other class members for their nominees. When a nominee has been chosen, ask the class to write a letter of appreciation to the person or group expressing thanks for the peace efforts and describing the process by which it was chosen.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>&nbsp;<br> Closing</h4> <p>Ask students to think of one thing they can do in the coming week to bring peace to their home, their classroom, or their community and to write it in their calendars.&nbsp; If it seems appropriate, ask some students to share their ideas of what they can do.<br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2013-11-10T15:06:04-05:00" title="Sunday, November 10, 2013 - 15:06">November 10, 2013</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Sun, 10 Nov 2013 20:06:04 +0000 fionta 564 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Shirin Ebadi: Nobel Peace Prize Winner https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/shirin-ebadi-nobel-peace-prize-winner <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Shirin Ebadi: Nobel Peace Prize Winner</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p class="byline"><b>To the Teacher:</b></p> <p>The awarding of a Nobel Peace Prize is always a teachable moment. The prize focuses worldwide attention on a notable, but perhaps not well-known, individual for her or his exemplary work. Before her selection, Shirin Ebadi was probably known to few outside of Iran. But her nonviolent efforts on behalf of human rights in an environment often hostile to such work and her insistence on the compatibility of Islam, democracy, and human rights in general — and women's and children's rights in particular — are especially worthy of student attention and understanding at this time and in our own country.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3><b>Student Reading:</b></h3> <h2>Shirin Ebadi, A Nonviolent Human Rights Activist</h2> <p>Should a woman have the same right as her husband or father to work or to travel abroad? Should a woman's testimony in a trial be given the same weight as a man's? Should a woman have the same rights as a man in getting a divorce? The answer to each of these questions in Iran is No.</p> <p>Is Islam a religion that supports human rights? Does Islam call for equal rights for women and men? Does Islam support nonviolence and peaceful solutions to problems? The answer to each of these questions by Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, is Yes.</p> <p>Shirin Ebadi (pronounced SHEE-REEN eh-baw-DEE) was born in 1947. She received a law degree from the University of Tehran, where she teaches today, and was one of the first female judges in Iran and president of the city court of Tehran for four years. After the Islamic revolution of 1979, she was forced to resign and demoted to a legal assistant. The reason given by the ruling clerics was that women are too "emotional" to be judges. Ebadi later said that experience was like turning "the president of a university into a janitor." She is married and has two daughters.</p> <p>Unlike many professional women who left Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979, Ebadi stayed. A few years later she started her own law practice and began writing books. After the election in 1997 of President Muhammad Khatami, a reformer who called for tolerance and the rule of law, she began speaking out forcefully on human rights issues, especially on behalf of women and children. "Khatami is talking about the rule of law; everyone is talking about the rule of law," she said in 1999. "We will only have the rule of law in Iran on the day that women are treated the same as men under the law."</p> <p>"The crucial issues for women," she says, "are custody [of their children after a divorce], divorce, and being able to study for any field or enter any occupation that we want. We think that if we change men's attitudes toward women, which is a gender and sex issue, we will change their attitudes toward religion as well." She thinks that conditions for Iranian women have been "improving" in recent years.</p> <p>Iran is a Middle East nation of nearly 70,000,000 and slightly larger than Alaska in area. A majority of its people are of Persian descent and 89 percent are Shia Muslims (10 percent are Sunni Muslims). After the 1979 revolution that overthrew the ruling Shah, Iran became a theocracy. Since 1989 its Supreme Leader has been Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei who, along with a clerical group making up a Council of Guardians, controls Iran's justice system and its army. President Khatami and the Iranian parliament were elected as "reformers" but have limited authority. The Ayatollah Khamenei and the Council of Guardians, for example, have opposed bills on women's rights and recently blocked approval of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which most nations support.</p> <p>The Iranian rulers, who have a different view of Islam from Ebadi's, regard political opposition as unacceptable. They have closed newspapers and imprisoned journalists, political activists, and members of other religious groups, including Sunni Muslims. In recent years, though, political opposition in Iran, especially among student groups, has risen. They seek greater freedom and democracy and, like Ebadi, they do not believe these ideals conflict with Islamic belief. Poor economic conditions have also fueled their opposition. In 2002, 41 percent of Iranians lived in poverty; in 2003 the unemployment rate is 16.3 percent.</p> <p>Ebadi says, "There is no contradiction between an Islamic republic, Islam, and human rights. If in many Islamic countries human rights are flouted, this is because of a wrong interpretation of Islam. All I've tried to do in the last 20 years was to prove that with another interpretation of Islam it would be possible to introduce democracy to Muslim countries. We need an interpretation of Islam that leaves much more space for women to take action. We need an Islam that is compatible with democracy and one that's respectful of individual rights."</p> <p>Ebadi insists that "Iranians are profoundly disappointed" by Iran's Islamic Revolution because it denies political, social, economic, and human rights reforms. But she is also disappointed by "certain western states that blame the sublime religion of Islam for acts of a few Muslims, whereas there are many Christians who indulge themselves in murder and terrorist acts, but Muslims never say they do so because of their religion."</p> <p>Ebadi has been critical of the Bush administration's stance toward Iran. (Bush cited Iran as part of what he called the "axis of evil," and the administration has accused Iran of working to build nuclear weapons and supporting terrorists.) "The fight for human rights is conducted in Iran by the Iranian people and we are against any foreign intervention in Iran," declared Ebadi.</p> <p>Much of Ebadi's human rights activism has stemmed from her work as an attorney.<br> "I always acted within the law; I never did anything that was illegal. I support peaceful protests. But when things go wrong I'm there to defend the victims, for free," Ebadi explains.</p> <p>Ebadi led a campaign demanding justice in the case of a 9-year-old Iranian girl who was murdered by her father and stepbrother. Ebadi helped get the stepbrother convicted for the girl's murder, and forced attention to the Iranian law that prevents a father's conviction in such a case. Currently she is fighting for justice on behalf of the children of dissidents opposed to the Iranian government who were murdered.</p> <p>In 1999, the Iranian government allegedly looked the other way while an armed civilian group attacked students in Tehran University dormitories after a student protest over freedom of the press. Ebadi defended one victim's family in court. She was arrested because of this work, sentenced to 15 months in prison and banned from practicing law for five years for making public a taped confession of a militia member involved in the attacks. Her sentence was eventually reduced to three weeks in prison and a $200 fine.</p> <p>Ebadi is the founder and leader of the Association for Support of Children's Rights in Iran. Among her books translated into English are <em>The Rights of the Child</em> and <em>History and Documentation of Human Rights in Iran</em> .</p> <p>In awarding her the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel committee declared: "Her principal arena is the struggle for basic human rights, and no society deserves to be labelled civilized unless the rights of women and children are respected. In an era of violence, she has consistently supported nonviolence. It is fundamental to her view that the supreme political power in a community must be built on democratic elections. She favors enlightenment and dialogue as the best path to changing attitudes and resolving conflict." The prize has been awarded yearly since 1901 and now pays its winner $1.32 million.</p> <p>Iranian government officials were unenthusiastic about Ebadi's award. President Khatami called it "political." Another spokesperson criticized Ebadi's personality and activities. Kayhan, an Iranian newspaper, commented that undoubtedly "the goal of this prize is to embarrass Muslims and, especially, the Iranian people." But when Ebadi returned from Paris to Tehran shortly after learning of the prize, she was greeted by a crowd of thousands of supporters, the majority of them women. After she stepped off the plane, she said, "I hope that all political prisoners will be freed."</p> <p>In Ms. Ebadi's address in Oslo, Norway accepting the Nobel Prize on December 10, 2003 she criticized her Iranian government mildly. But she delivered a sharp rebuke to the United States, declaring, "some states have violated the universal principles and laws of human rights by using the events of September 11 and the war on international terrorism as a pretext." She was referring especially to the American detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where hundreds of prisoners have been held for more than two years without specific charge and without access to legal counsel. The U.S. maintains that these "enemy combatants" are a potential threat and are not covered by the usual legal protections.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Classroom Activities</h3> <h4 style="font-weight: bold; "><br> For Discussion</h4> <p><b>1.</b> Why do you think Shirin Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2003?</p> <p><b>2.</b> Why makes human rights work difficult in Iran?</p> <p><b>3.</b> What has Ebadi accomplished as a human rights activist?</p> <p><b>4.</b> What human rights have been especially important to her? Why?</p> <p><b>5.</b> How has she suffered personally because of her work? Why?</p> <p><b>6.</b> What is her view of Islam?</p> <p><b>7.</b> How does it differ from that of Iranian authorities?</p> <p><b>8.</b> How would you explain the Iranian officials' and an Iranian newspaper's reactions to the award? the reaction of those who met her when she returned to Tehran?</p> <p><b>9.</b> How would you define "human rights? What do you think are some specific and very important human rights? (the teacher might list student responses on the chalkboard)</p> <p><b>10.</b> How does the student list compare with the UN's "Universal Declaration of Human Rights"? (see <a href="http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html">http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html</a>, on the UN's website)</p> <h4><br> <b>For Group Work</b></h4> <p>The Nobel Committee cites Ebadi's support for enlightenment and peaceful dialogue "as the best path to changing attitudes and resolving conflicts."</p> <p>Divide the class into groups of four to six students. Ask each participant in each group to consider a conflict that they participated in or observed closely. Each student should describe this conflict to the others, focusing especially on how the conflict was resolved. Was it resolved peacefully? Why or why not? If it was not resolved peacefully, what might those involved have done differently? (See this website for information on the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program and specific suggestions for classroom activities).</p> <p>Have students select one of the conflicts for presentation to the class and for class discussion.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="font-weight: bold; ">For Writing</h4> <p><b>1.</b> A paragraph describing a conflict you were involved in. What was the conflict about? What did each person want? Was the conflict resolved? If so, how? If not, why not?</p> <p><b>2.</b> A paragraph describing a conflict you were not involved in but witnessed or know about in some detail. What was the conflict about? What did each person want? Was the conflict resolved? If so, how? If not, why not?</p> <p><b>3.</b> A paragraph describing a human rights violation, one that the writer knows about personally or has read about. What was the human right that was involved? How and why was it violated?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="font-weight: bold; ">For Further Inquiry</h4> <p><b>1.</b> An investigation of the work of famous human rights activists—e.g., Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr.</p> <p><b>2.</b> An investigation of the work of human rights activists who are not famous. For example, the movements led by Anthony, Gandhi, Mandela, and King would not have been successful without the initiative, intelligence and persistent hard work of many others.</p> <p><b>3.</b> An inquiry into Islam and human rights.</p> <p><b>4.</b> A comparison of the struggle for women's rights in the U.S. and in Iran.</p> <p><b>5.</b> An inquiry into criticisms that the Patriot Act, approved by Congress after 9/11, has led to human rights violations in the US, especially against Muslims.</p> <p><b>6.</b> A study of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which has been approved by most of the countries in the United Nations.</p> <p><b>7.</b> A study of one of the international human rights organizations: Amnesty International, (Nobel Peace Prize winner, 1977) or Human Rights Watch. Or, study of a prominent US human rights and civil liberties organization, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, or the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.</p> <p><b>8.</b> An inquiry into the impact of the Nobel Peace Prize on the nation of a recipient who worked for human rights. For example, Andrei Sakharov (USSR, 1975) and Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar, formerly Burma, 1991).</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="font-weight: bold; ">For Student Action</h4> <p>Human rights and civil rights organizations, like those noted above, offer opportunities for student involvement. Students might write letters on behalf of individuals or become involved in a particular campaign. Students who want to do something can visit the websites of the organizations for more information.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="font-weight: bold; ">Sources</h4> <p>Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)<br> Norwegian Nobel Committee (nobel.se/peace/laureates/2003)<br> Iran Press Service (iran-press-service.com)<br> Iranian Children's Rights Society (iranianchildren.org)<br> BBC News (bbc.com.uk)<br> Newsweekonline.com<br> MSNBC.com<br> <em>Christian Science Monitor</em> (csmonitor.com)<br> <em>New York Times</em> (10/11/03 and 10/17/03)<br> PBS Online, "Beyond the Veil—Women Seeking Change"</p> <p style="text-align: left">&nbsp;</p> <p><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We</em> <em>welcome your comments. Please email them to: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2011-07-23T14:39:05-04:00" title="Saturday, July 23, 2011 - 14:39">July 23, 2011</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:39:05 +0000 fionta 793 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org International Women's Day: Nobel Laureate WANGARI MAATHAI: SHAKING THE TREE https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/international-womens-day-nobel-laureate-wangari-maathai-shaking-tree <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>International Women&#039;s Day: Nobel Laureate WANGARI MAATHAI: SHAKING THE TREE</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><h3>Objectives</h3> <p><strong>Students will:</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Talk about the women they admire in their lives and why</li> <li>Be introduced to the idea of International Women's Day</li> <li>Hear the story of Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai and read excerpts from her acceptance speech</li> <li>Listen to and discuss Peter Gabriel's song "Shaking the Tree"</li> </ul> <p><strong>Materials</strong></p> <ul> <li>Agenda on chart paper or on the board</li> <li>Handout I: The Story of Wangari Maathai</li> <li>Handout II: lyrics of Peter Gabriel's song Shaking the Tree</li> <li>Access to YouTube for video of Shaking the Tree - or download the audio from Amazon or other site in advance</li> </ul> <h4>&nbsp;</h4> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4>Gathering</h4> <p><em>(5 minutes)</em></p> <p>In pairs, ask students to talk about a woman in their lives they admire and why. Ask a few volunteers to share with the full class.</p> <h4><br> Agenda and Introduction</h4> <p><em>(5 minutes)</em></p> <p>In today's lesson we will take a look at an amazing woman who worked to empower the poor, rural women of her country to affect change in powerful ways.</p> <p>Every March 8, people around the world celebrate International Women's Day. Hundreds of events occur on this day and throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. In the US the month of March is designated as Women's History Month.</p> <p>Ask your students why they think it's important to celebrate International Women's Day. Why is it important to have a Women's History Month?<br> &nbsp;</p> <h3>The Tree Woman</h3> <p><em>(20 minutes)</em></p> <p>Introduce students to Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.</p> <p>Ask students what they know about the Nobel Peace Prize.</p> <p>The Nobel Peace Prize, named after Swedish founder Alfred Nobel, is one of the most prestigious prizes in the world. In his will from 1895, Nobel instructed that most of his fortune be set aside for a fund to support the awarding of five annual prizes.</p> <p>Peace was the fifth and final prize area that Nobel mentioned in his will. Nobel, a scientist and entrepreneur, was also the inventor of dynamite and other explosives. He might have developed a special interest in the peace movement because his inventions were used in warfare and assassination attempts.</p> <p>Of the 121 Nobel Peace Prize winners, to date only 12 have been women. Wangari Maathai won the prize in 2004 for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace."</p> <p>Ask students to read Handout 1. Then have students break into groups of three or four to discuss these questions:</p> <p>1. What do you think of the actions of Wangari Maathai?</p> <p>2. In 2004, when Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize, critics questioned whether the prize should be awarded to an environmental activist. They were concerned that the prize's effectiveness in promoting peace, enhancing security and ending conflicts could be diluted. After reading Maathai's acceptance speech, what do you think about this argument?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Shaking the Tree</h3> <p><em>(15 minutes)</em></p> <p>Play the song Shaking the Tree by Peter Gabriel (download in advance from Amazon or other source or watch the video at:<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z06mQT_vkkw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z06mQT_vkkw</a>). Distribute the handout of Shaking the Tree lyrics so that students can follow the lyrics as you play the song.</p> <p>Having played the song, ask students to look over the lyrics again and pick a stanza that stands out for them. In small groups of three or four, ask students to share their favorite stanza and explain why it stands out for them.</p> <p>Ask a few volunteers to share in the large group. If no one brings it up, ask your class why they think the song is called "Shaking the Tree?" How does it connect to the work of Wangari Maathai?<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4>Closing</h4> <p><em>(5 minutes)</em></p> <p>On International Women's Day, think about a tree that you would like to see shaken to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.Ask a few volunteers to share.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>HANDOUT I</h3> <h2>The story of Wangari Maathai</h2> <p>In 1977, Wangari Maathai started a campaign that came to be known as the Green Belt Movement in her home country of Kenya. Addressing enormously complex challenges of deforestation and global climate change, the movement partnered with poor rural women who were encouraged, and paid a small stipend, to plant millions of trees to slow deforestation across Kenya. Besides the planting of trees the movement worked to preserve biodiversity, educate people about the environment and promote Women's and girl's rights.</p> <p>In her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech Wangari Maathai explained how environmental conservation could lead to peace. She drew many connections between the environment, good governance, human rights, women's rights, peace and conflict resolution:</p> <blockquote> <p>"As the first African woman to receive this prize, I accept it on behalf of the people of Kenya and Africa, and indeed the world. I am especially mindful of women and the girl child. I hope it will encourage them to raise their voices and take more space for leadership.</p> <p>In 1977, when we started the Green Belt Movement, I was partly responding to needs identified by rural women, namely lack of firewood, clean drinking water, balanced diets, shelter and income.</p> <p>Throughout Africa, women are the primary caretakers, holding significant responsibility for tilling the land and feeding their families. As a result, they are often the first to become aware of environmental damage as resources become scarce and incapable of sustaining their families.</p> <p>Tree planting became a natural choice to address some of the initial basic needs identified by women. Also, tree planting is simple, attainable and guarantees quick, successful results within a reasonable amount time. This sustains interest and commitment.</p> <p>So, together, we have planted over 30 million trees that provide fuel, food, shelter, and income to support their children's education and household needs. The activity also creates employment and improves soils and watersheds. Through their involvement, women gain some degree of power over their lives, especially their social and economic position and relevance in the family. This work continues.</p> <p>In the process [of planting trees] the participants discover that they must be part of the solutions. They realize their hidden potential and are empowered to overcome inertia and take action. They come to recognize that they are the primary custodians and beneficiaries of the environment that sustains them.</p> <p>Entire communities also come to understand that while it is necessary to hold their governments accountable, it is equally important that in their own relationships with each other, they exemplify the leadership values they wish to see in their own leaders, namely justice, integrity and trust.</p> <p>Through the Green Belt Movement, thousands of ordinary citizens were mobilized and empowered to take action and effect change. They learned to overcome fear and a sense of helplessness and moved to defend democratic rights.</p> <p>In time, the tree also became a symbol for peace and conflict resolution, especially during ethnic conflicts in Kenya when the Green Belt Movement used peace trees to reconcile disputing communities. During the ongoing re-writing of the Kenyan constitution, similar trees of peace were planted in many parts of the country to promote a culture of peace.</p> <p>Using trees as a symbol of peace is in keeping with a widespread African tradition. For example, the elders of the Kikuyu carried a staff from the thigi tree that, when placed between two disputing sides, caused them to stop fighting and seek reconciliation. Many communities in Africa have these traditions.</p> <p>Such practices are part of an extensive cultural heritage, which contributes both to the conservation of habitats and to cultures of peace. With the destruction of these cultures and the introduction of new values, local biodiversity is no longer valued or protected and as a result, it is quickly degraded and disappears. For this reason, The Green Belt Movement explores the concept of cultural biodiversity, especially with respect to indigenous seeds and medicinal plants.</p> <p>As we progressively understood the causes of environmental degradation, we saw the need for good governance. Indeed, the state of any county's environment is a reflection of the kind of governance in place, and without good governance there can be no peace. Many countries, which have poor governance systems, are also likely to have conflicts and poor laws protecting the environment.</p> <p>In 2002, the courage, resilience, patience and commitment of members of the Green Belt Movement, other civil society organizations, and the Kenyan public culminated in the peaceful transition to a democratic government and laid the foundation for a more stable society."</p> </blockquote> <p>Wangari Maathai came to be known as "The Tree Woman" in her native country.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>HANDOUT 2</h3> <h2>Shaking the Tree&nbsp;</h2> <p><strong>by Peter Gabriel</strong></p> <p>We are shaking the tree<br> Waiting your time, dreaming of a better life<br> Waiting your time, you're more than just a wife<br> You don't want to do what your mother has done<br> (she has done)<br> This is your life, this new life has begun<br> It's your day -- a woman's day<br> It's your day -- a woman's day<br> Turning the tide, you are on the incoming wave<br> Turning the tide, you know you are nobody's slave<br> Find your sisters and brothers who can hear all the truth<br> In what you say<br> They can support you when you're on your way<br> It's your day -- a woman's day<br> It's your day -- a woman's day</p> <p>We are shaking the tree<br> Changing your ways, changing those surrounding you<br> Changing your ways, more than any man can do<br> Open your heart, show him the anger and pain<br> So you heal<br> Maybe he's looking for his womanly side<br> And you feel you had to be so strong<br> And you do nothing wrong, nothing wrong at all<br> We're gonna to break it down<br> We have to shake it down, shake it all around<br> We are shaking the trees</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment by <a href="https://www.morningsidecenter.org/marieke-van-woerkom">Marieke van Woerkom</a>, a trainer and global facilitator who works as a staff developer for Morningside Center.</em></p> <p><em>We welcome your comments. Please email them to Marieke at: <a href="mailto:marieke@vanwoerkomprojects.com">marieke@vanwoerkomprojects.com</a>,or to Morningside Center at: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a>. </em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2011-03-05T13:39:17-05:00" title="Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 13:39">March 5, 2011</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Sat, 05 Mar 2011 18:39:17 +0000 fionta 810 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Nobel Peace Prize winner LIU XIAOBO: A long, nonviolent struggle for human rights in China https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/nobel-peace-prize-winner-liu-xiaobo-long-nonviolent-struggle-human-rights <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Nobel Peace Prize winner LIU XIAOBO: A long, nonviolent struggle for human rights in China</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><strong>To the Teacher:</strong></p> <p>Liu Xiaobo, the first Chinese winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has for more than 20 years demonstrated a passionate, nonviolent commitment to helping China become a land where human rights and the rule of law prevail.</p> <p>The first student reading below outlines his background, the kinds of activities and views that have led to his being imprisoned four times, the reaction of the government to his award, and concludes with a personal statement that helps to explain Liu's behavior. The second reading opens with some observations by Fang Lizhi, another Chinese dissident, on the Nobel award and the human rights situation in China today and concludes with an account of a recent public protest over human rights by former Chinese Communist officials. Discussion questions follow.</p> <p>See&nbsp;<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/china-rising">"China, Rising"</a>&nbsp;in the high school section of TeachableMoment for background on China's history, economic progress, relations with the U.S., and the Tiananmen protests.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Student Reading 1:&nbsp;</h3> <h2>A Chinese prisoner who wants to "defuse hate with love"</h2> <p>Liu Xiaobo is not the first person to win the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison. That was a German pacifist, Carl von Ossietzky, in 1935, who had been jailed by the Nazis. But Liu, the 2010 Nobel winner, who has been imprisoned repeatedly, is the first Chinese person to receive the prize. (He is known as Liu because in China, the family name comes first, then the given name.)</p> <p>Liu Xiaobo (pronounced&nbsp;liew shou-boh) went to prison for the first time in 1989, after participating in a hunger strike with three other men in support of student protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The student protests called for a less authoritarian government and other reforms. Just hours before the military assault on the protesters that resulted in hundreds of deaths, Liu helped persuade some of the demonstrators to leave the square.</p> <p>After his release in 1991, the&nbsp;<em>New York Times</em>&nbsp;reports, Liu was "stripped of his teaching job but continued to gather petitions pressing for democracy, human rights and the reassessment of the government's verdict on Tiananmen. In 1995, his unbowed activism led to an eight-month detention, and in 1996, he was sentenced to three years in a labor camp for a series of essays that criticized the government." (Andrew Jacobs and Jonathan Ansfield, "Jailed Activist In China Wins Nobel for Peace," (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">www.nytimes.com</a>&nbsp;10/9/10)</p> <p>Liu's most recent arrest, in 2008, came one day before the release of Charter 08, a petition calling for China's leaders to guarantee civil liberties of free expression, assembly, and religion, an independent judiciary and free elections. Liu's name was at the top of the petition. Charter 08 was published on the internet on December 10, the 60th anniversary of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Although more than 8,000 people have signed Charter 08, most Chinese know nothing about it because officials have blocked them from viewing it on the Internet</p> <p>On December 25, 2009, Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison on a charge of "inciting subversion of state power."<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>The Nobel award and the official Chinese reaction</strong></p> <p>The Nobel Committee, in awarding the prize to Liu, cited "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." The committee added that "in practice, these freedoms have proved to be distinctly curtailed for China's citizens."</p> <p>But the Chinese Foreign Ministry called the decision to give Liu a Nobel prize a "desecration" that would harm Norwegian-Chinese relations. (The Nobel Prize originates in Norway.) "The Nobel Committee's giving the peace prize to such a person runs completely contrary to the aims of the prize. Liu Xiaobo is a criminal," declared a ministry spokesman. China then cancelled meetings about food safety with Norway's fisheries minister and exchange visits of top Chinese and Norwegian officials.</p> <p>President Obama, last year's Nobel peace laureate, called on China to release Liu and said, "China has made dramatic progress in economic reform and improving the lives of its people." But, he said, "political reform has not kept pace."</p> <p><strong>Liu's background and current status</strong></p> <p>Born in 1955, Liu earned a B.A. in literature. He also earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Beijing Normal University, where he became a teacher. In 1988-1991 he was a visiting scholar at Columbia University, the University of Oslo, and the University of Hawaii. He left Columbia to join the student demonstrations in Tiananmen.</p> <p>After the Nobel award was announced, Chinese government officials allowed Liu's wife, Liu Xia, to visit her husband in prison. According to Human Rights in China, "her husband told her, 'This is for the lost souls of June 4th' [at Tiananmen in 1989] and then wept."<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs">www.newyorker.com/online/blogs</a>, 10/11/10)</p> <p>Liu Xia, a photographer, is now under house arrest in the couple's Beijing apartment. She told the Associated Press, "I am not allowed to meet the press or friends." Her cellphone has been disconnected.</p> <p>Liu is serving his sentence at Jinzhou prison in Liaoning, according to the Washington Post, "hundreds of miles from his home and from his wife, Liu Xia, in Beijing. In an interview shortly before the Nobel announcement, Liu Xia said she was...grateful that he has been allowed to read and exchange regular letters with her. 'We have no regrets,' she said. 'All of this has been of our choosing. It will always be so. We'll bear the consequences together.'" (John Pomfret, "China's Liu Xiaobo Wins Nobel Peace Prize,"&nbsp;<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/">www.washingtonpost.com</a>, 10/8/10)</p> <p>Newsweek&nbsp;reported on October 8 that the "Chinese cyberpolice have been doing their best to prevent news of Liu Xiaobo's award from spreading ... blocking searches on his name and barring access to some foreign media websites, with only partial success." However reports did appear briefly on the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal's Chinese-language website, prompting messages of support on Chinese blogs and on Twitter. Though Twitter is officially blocked in China,&nbsp;Newsweek&nbsp;reports, "net-savvy citizens have figured out how to use proxy servers to access the service." Beijing police "have reportedly already rounded up a number of people who tried to hold an event celebrating Liu's award..." (<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/">www.newsweek.com</a>, 10/8/10)</p> <p>Nevertheless, on October 15, some of Liu's Chinese supporters managed to post a letter online calling for his release, a halt to government harassment of his wife, and a guarantee of "peaceful transition toward a society that will be, in fact and not just in name, a democracy and a nation of laws." (<em>New York Times</em>, 10/16/10)</p> <p><strong>Liu's 2009 statement: 'I have no enemies'</strong></p> <p>While Liu Xiaobo was in prison in December 2009 and awaiting a trial that produced an 11-year sentence, he managed to release a statement, "I Have No Enemies--My Final Statement." Below is an excerpt:</p> <p>"But I still want to tell the regime that deprives me of my freedom, I stand by the belief I expressed twenty years ago in my June Second Hunger Strike Declaration -- I have no enemies, and no hatred. None of the police who monitored, arrested and interrogated me, the prosecutors who prosecuted me, or the judges who sentence me, are my enemies. While I'm unable to accept your surveillance, arrest, prosecution or sentencing, I respect your professions and personalities. This includes Zhang Rongge and Pan Xueqing who act for the prosecution at present: I was aware of your respect and sincerity in your interrogation of me on 3 December.</p> <p>"For hatred is corrosive of a person's wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation's spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society's tolerance and humanity, and block a nation's progress to freedom and democracy. I hope therefore to be able to transcend my personal vicissitudes in understanding the development of the state and changes in society, to counter the hostility of the regime with the best of intentions, and defuse hate with love." (<a href="http://www.salon.com/">www.salon.com</a>, 10/8/10)<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>For discussion</strong></p> <p><strong>1.&nbsp;</strong>What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><strong>2.&nbsp;</strong>Why was Liu Xiaobo imprisoned for his participation in the Tiananmen protests? What were those protests about? Why do you think Chinese officials regarded Liu's actions as "inciting subversion of state power"?&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>3.</strong>&nbsp;What led to Liu's three additional imprisonments? If you need more information, how might you find it?</p> <p><strong>4.&nbsp;</strong>Based on what you find in this reading, how would you explain why Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and why Chinese officials object so strenuously to it?</p> <p><strong>5.&nbsp;</strong>Why do you suppose that Liu Xia is under house arrest? How would you explain her remark that "All of this has been of our choosing. It will always be so. We will bear the consequences together?"</p> <p><strong>6.&nbsp;</strong>What is Liu's explanation for rejecting "enemies" and "hatred" in his December 2009 statement? According to Liu, what makes hatred "corrosive of a person's wisdom and conscience"? How would you explain his "respect" for the "professions and personalities" of those involved in his imprisonment?&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>7.</strong>&nbsp;What other famous people do you know of whose views are similar to Liu's? In what ways were their lives similar to Liu's? Different?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Student Reading 2:&nbsp;</h3> <h2>The continuing struggle for human rights in China</h2> <p><strong>Views of another Chinese dissident</strong></p> <p>In praising the Nobel Peace Prize award to Liu Xiaobo, Fang Lizhi, a fellow Chinese dissident, writes, "the committee has challenged the West to reexamine a dangerous notion that has become prevalent since the 1989 Tiananmen massacre: that economic development will inevitably lead to democracy in China...</p> <p>"According to human rights organizations that monitor the situation in China, there are about 1,400 political, religious and 'conscience' prisoners spread around in prisons or labor camps across China. Their 'crimes' have included membership in underground political or religious groups, independent trade unions and non-governmental organizations, or they have been arrested for participating in strikes or demonstrations and have publicly expressed dissenting political opinions...</p> <p>"The international community should be especially concerned over China's breach of international agreements to which it is a signatory. Besides the UN Declaration on Human Rights, China also signed the UN Convention Against Torture in 1988. Yet, torture, maltreatment and psychiatric manipulation are extensively used in detention and prison camps in China. This includes beatings, the use of leg shackles and/or handcuffs for prolonged periods, extended solitary confinement, severely inadequate food, extreme exposure to cold and heat, and denial of medical treatment." (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">www.huffingtonpost.com</a>, 10/11/10)</p> <p>The essays of Fang Lizhi, an astrophysics professor, which helped to inspire student protests in 1986-1987, got him expelled from the Communist Party. He was also instrumental in inspiring the better-known 1989 Tiananmen protests. To end them, Chinese troops assaulted students in the square and the area nearby. Fang Lizhi and his wife, Li Shuxian, were granted asylum and hid in the US embassy in Beijing for three weeks before being flown to England. The couple later moved to the US, and Fang Lizhi became a Professor of Physics at the University of Arizona. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fang_Lizhi">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fang_Lizhi</a>)<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>A statement by the Chinese Prime Minister</strong></p> <p>Chinese leaders reacted harshly to the Nobel Peace Prize award to Liu Xiaobo. But only a few days before the prize was announced, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, in a CNN interview on October 3, 2010, with Fareed Zakaria, made the following statement: "I believe freedom of speech is indispensable for any country, a country in the course of development and a country that has become strong... I often say that we should not only let people have the freedom of speech, we, more importantly, must create conditions to let them criticize the work of the government."</p> <p>But Michael Wines, a<em>&nbsp;New York Times</em>&nbsp;news analyst in Beijing, writes: "Calls for more democracy are common in Chinese politics, but they almost always refer to improving the party's decision-making bureaucracy and making its lower-ranking officials more accountable rather than promoting a broader conception of individual freedom or political competition...Perhaps the clearest signal of the ruling coalition's dim view of of serious change is this: Few of Mr. Wen's remarks on reform [in his October 3 interview on CNN] have been reported nationally by China's state-controlled media." ("China's Elite Feel Winds of Change, But Endure,"&nbsp;New York Times,&nbsp;10/15/10)</p> <p><strong>Former officials demand freedom of speech and press</strong></p> <p>On October 11, 2010, 23 retired Communist Party officials, including Mao Zedong's former secretary secretary Li Rui and former&nbsp;People's Daily&nbsp;editor-in-chief Hu Jiwei, called for an end to restrictions on free expression in China. Their statement is addressed to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Excerpts:</p> <p>"Article 35 of China's Constitution as adopted in 1982 clearly states that: 'Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.' For 28 years this article has stood unrealized, having been negated by detailed rules and regulations for 'implementation.'" This false democracy of formal avowal and concrete denial has become a scandalous mark on the history of world democracy...</p> <p>"We have for 61 years 'served as master' in the name of the citizens of the People's Republic of China. But the freedom of speech and of the press we now enjoy is inferior even to that of Hong Kong before its return to Chinese sovereignty, to that entrusted to the residents of a colony...But even today, 61 years after the founding of our nation, after 30 years of opening and reform, we have not yet attained freedom of speech and freedom of the press to the degree enjoyed by the people of Hong Kong under colonial rule."</p> <p>The former officials declare that "aside from information that truly concerns our national secrets," China's Internet regulatory bodies should not "violate a citizen's right to privacy" or "arbitrarily delete online posts and online comments." Further, "online spies must be abolished." The retired officials also stated that there should be "no more taboos concerning our Party's history. Chinese citizens have a right to know the errors of the ruling party." (China Media Project,&nbsp;<a href="http://cmp.hku.hk/2010/10/13/8035/">http://cmp.hku.hk/2010/10/13/8035/</a>)<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>A 'stranglehold on public life'</strong></p> <p>Eight years ago John Pomfret of the&nbsp;Washington Post&nbsp;wrote: "China has evolved from a totalitarian state, in which the party dominated public and private space, to an authoritarian state, which has allowed unparalleled freedom in the economy and people's private lives but maintains a stranglehold on public life."</p> <p>Pomfret quoted from an interview with Liu Xiaobo, who was then free (in between his third and fourth imprisonments): "You can say whatever you want in China today," Liu said, acknowledging the huge strides made toward personal freedom since economic reforms began in the late 1970s. Then he added: "As long as you do it alone." ("Under Jiang, Party Changed to Remain in Power,"&nbsp;<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/">www.washingtonpost.com</a>, 11/7/02)<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>For discussion</strong></p> <p><strong>1. </strong>What questions do you have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><strong>2. </strong>According to Fang Lizhi, how does the Nobel Peace Prize award challenge the notion that "economic development will inevitably lead to democracy in China..."?</p> <p><strong>3.</strong> Why do you think that Fang Lizhi was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party? Why do you suppose he had become a party member? If you don't know, how might you find out?</p> <p><strong>4.</strong> Article 35 of China's Constitution declares that Chinese citizens already "enjoy" the rights named. How would you then explain the treatment of Liu?&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>5. </strong>In Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's remarks on CNN, he said that "we should...let people have the freedom of speech...[and] let them criticize the work of the government." Who does he mean by "we"? Why, according to Wen, must "we... create conditions" before criticism is permitted? What "conditions" do you suppose he was talking about and why? What do you think Michael Wines would say about Prime Minister Wen Jiabo's remarks?</p> <p><strong>6. </strong>Do you agree with Pomfret's conclusion about China's evolution? Why or why not?</p> <p><strong>7.</strong> Explain the closing quotation from Liu Xiaobo.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>This essay was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We&nbsp;welcome your comments. Please email them to:<a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a>.</em></p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2010-10-27T00:00:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 00:00">October 27, 2010</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:00:00 +0000 fionta 827 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER: President Obama https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/nobel-peace-prize-winner-president-obama <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER: President Obama</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><strong>To the Teacher:</strong></p> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama evoked surprise and controversy. The student reading below includes the president's statement on receiving the prize, an excerpt from the Norwegian Nobel Committee's announcement, a brief summary of how the award was created, and a sampling of reactions to the award. Discussion questions follow.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr></div> <h3>Student Reading:</h3> <h2>A controversial Nobel Peace Prize</h2> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In October 2009, President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The award evoked surprise and some controversy.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>President Obama's statement upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear, I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women and all Americans want to build, a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>The Nobel Committee's statement</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting...Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Origins of the award</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Alfred Nobel, a creator of dynamite and other explosives, died on December 10, 1895. In his will, he requested that much of his wealth be used to establish five prizes, including one for peace. The peace prize was to be awarded to the person who "shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Reactions to Obama's award</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I cannot think of anyone today more deserving of this honor. In less than a year in office, he has transformed the way we look at ourselves and the world we live in and rekindled hope for a world at peace with itself.</div> <div><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">—</em><em>Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, who received the Nobel peace prize in 2005</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The real question Americans are asking is, "What has President Obama actually accomplished?"</div> <div><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">—</em><em>Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>I know there are going to be some people who are saying 'Was it based on good intentions and thoughts, or is it going to be based on results?' But I think the appropriate response is when anybody wins a Nobel Prize, you know that is a very noteworthy development and designation and award, and I think the proper response is to say congratulations.</div> <div><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">—</em><em>Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a Republican who is considering a presidential run in 2012 against Obama</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Who, Obama? So fast. Too fast-he has hasn't had the time to do anything yet. For the time being, Obama's just making proposals. But sometimes the Nobel committee awards the prize to encourage responsible action. Let's give Obama a chance.</div> <div><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">—</em><em>Lech Walesa, president of Poland, 1990-1995, and 1983 Nobel peace prize winner</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>At the level of intentions, Obama deserves it. He shows a lot of good intentions. But at the level of actions, it is still too early to judge his ability to translate these intentions into realities. And there are indications that he will not be able to proceed forth in this battle. He already failed with [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel] over the issue of freezing the settlements.</div> <div><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">—</em><em>Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University&nbsp;</em></div> <div>(This and the four preceding quotes are from the <em>New York Times</em>, 10/10/09)</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Barack Obama was given the prize because he is a game-changer. Obama has dedicated himself to reducing and ultimately scrapping the nuclear arsenals that threaten the world... Mr. Obama has generated considerable good will overseas, with polls showing him hugely popular...He has vowed to pursue a world without nuclear weapons; reached out to the Muslim world, delivering a major speech in Cairo in June; and sought to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, at the expense of offending some of his Jewish supporters...[and] Washington is engaging in direct talks with Tehran that have eased tensions."</div> <div><em style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">—</em><em>Juan Cole, professor of Middle East history, University of Michigan, <a href="http://www.juancole.com">www.juancole.com</a></em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In addition to the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the situation in Iraq is extremely fragile; North Korea has tagged missile tests; Iran continues to enrich uranium in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, though it recently agreed to restart nuclear talks; Israel has resisted a settlement freeze; and Saudi Arabia has refused to make new gestures toward the Israelis.</div> <div><em>—Steven Erlanger and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, summarizing challenges facing the president, "Surprise Nobel for Obama Stirs Praise and Doubts," New York Times, 10/10/09</em></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>For discussion</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>1. </strong>What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>2. </strong>Why didn't President Obama view the prize "as a recognition of my own accomplishments"? Why, then, did he think he received the prize?&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>3.</strong> What were the Nobel Committee's reasons for awarding the prize to the president? What example(s) from President Obama's record so far can you cite to support each reason? What examples can you cite that counter each reason? If you need more information, how might you find out?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>4. </strong>In light of the quote from Albert Nobel's will, did President Obama qualify for the prize? Why or why not?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>5.</strong> Consider each of the reactions to the prize. What are the main points of agreement? Of disagreement?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>6. </strong>What are the major challenges that the president faces according to the Times' summary?</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><br> &nbsp;</div> <div><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We welcome your comments. Please email them to: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a>.</em></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2009-10-20T14:39:12-04:00" title="Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 14:39">October 20, 2009</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:39:12 +0000 fionta 878 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Nobel Prize Winner Ahtisaari: 'Every conflict can be solved' https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/nobel-prize-winner-ahtisaari-every-conflict-can-be-solved <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Nobel Prize Winner Ahtisaari: &#039;Every conflict can be solved&#039;</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p><strong>To the Teacher:</strong></p> <p>Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland, has worked as a mediator for three decades to help enemies solve their conflicts in places as far flung as Aceh in Indonesia, Namibia, and Northern Ireland. His success earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. The student reading below describes some of his work as well as criticism of it.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr> <h3>Student Reading:&nbsp;</h3> <h2>Martti Ahtisaari's Peacemaking</h2> <p>"Every conflict can be solved" is the motto of Martti Ahtisaari. His success in helping enemies solve conflicts across a table, even if it takes years, won Ahtisaari the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008. Ahtisaari, who was president of Finland from 1994 to 2000, has also been a United Nations diplomat and mediator.</p> <p>Ahtisaari's motto has been put to the test many times. One came a few years ago in Aceh, an area in northern Sumatra, one of Indonesia's many islands. After American oil and gas companies began exploiting Aceh's natural resources, a Free Aceh movement was organized to demand a share of both this oil and gas wealth and independence for the people of Aceh. Indonesian troops cracked down violently on this opposition force; thousands of people were killed.</p> <p>After many years of conflict the Indonesian government invited Finland's non-governmental organization, the Crisis Management Initiative, which was founded by Ahtisaari, to help resolve the issues. "Do you want to win, or do you want peace?" he asked the contending parties. In 2005 the answer was peace, and the two sides agreed to cease hostilities.</p> <p>Over the past 30 years, Ahtisaari has also helped to mediate conflicts in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, and in the African nation of Namibia. Ahtisaari says he thinks his greatest accomplishment is his work as a UN special envoy to Namibia. That effort took ten years of negotiations between the South West Africa People's Organization, a Namibian guerrilla movement, and South Africa, which at the time had an all-white apartheid government that annexed Namibia after World War II. The result was South Africa's acceptance of Namibian independence in 1990.</p> <p>As a mediator, Ahtisaari has helped opponents to communicate with one another, to determine what the real issues separating them are, and to generate win-win solutions that meet the needs and interests of all parties. This is hard work: For instance, Northern Ireland and Britain were enemies, at times murderous enemies, for hundreds of years before they finally reached a mediated peace agreement in 2007.</p> <p>For all his accomplishments, Ahtisaari has his critics. Among them is Johan Galtung, a Norwegian scholar of peace studies who founded the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo and the Journal of Peace Research. He rejects Ahtisaari's way of handling conflicts, claiming that he "does not solve conflicts but drives through short-term solutions that please Western countries."</p> <p>The conflict between Serbia and Kosovo, a Serb province, is a case in point. Serbia is a Balkan nation whose people are mostly ethnically Serb and Orthodox Christian. Kosovo's are mostly ethnically Albanian and Muslim. These ethnic and religious differences, as well as historical conflicts and Serb repression, led to a Kosovan insurgency in 1995 to establish independence. Serb massacres and expulsions of Kosovans led to NATO intervention and U.S. bombing of Serbia. Russia, historically a Serb ally, opposed the intervention.</p> <p>Efforts to resolve the conflict through the UN failed. Ahtisaari then proposed a settlement that would give Kosovo independence overseen by international institutions. Russia vetoed it in the Security Council. In February 2008, Kosovo declared its independence unilaterally and gained recognition of its status by the U.S. and most European countries, but not by Russia and Serbia.</p> <p>In its criticism of Ahtisaari's award of the Nobel Peace Prize,&nbsp;Moscow News&nbsp;editorialized that "the United States and several European countries decided to support [the Kosovan insurgents] and enabled [them] to establish control over Kosovo, thanks to a plan formulated by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in violation of international law." (10/16/08) Galtung, too, has criticized Ahtisaari for favoring solutions he regards as bypassing the United Nations and international law. But Madeleine Albright, the U.S. Secretary of State at the time the U.S. bombed Serbia, said that she could not "think of a prize that is more richly deserved." (<em>New York Times</em>,&nbsp;10/10/08)</p> <p>In awarding Ahtisaari the prize worth $1.4 million, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said that his efforts "have contributed to a more peaceful world and to 'fraternity between nations'... Throughout all his adult life, whether as a senior Finnish public servant and President or in an international capacity, often connected to the United Nations, Ahtisaari has worked for peace and reconciliation.</p> <p>"Through his untiring efforts and good results, he has shown what role mediation of various kinds can play in the resolution of international conflicts. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to express the hope that others may be inspired by his efforts and achievements."</p> <p>Born in 1937, Ahtisaari had to move repeatedly with his family because troops from the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939 and occupied the part of Finland where they lived during most of the World War II years. "He said that experience had given him a lifelong sympathy for the 'eternally displaced' and a 'desire to advance peace and thus help others who have gone through similar experiences.'" (<em>New York Times</em>, 10/10/08)</p> <p>As an adult, Ahtisaari first became an elementary school teacher before he joined Finland's foreign ministry and became its ambassador to Tanzania. Later he became Finland's president. In more recent years he has worked for the United Nations, become chairman of the International Crisis Group and established the Crisis Management Initiative. Last year he arranged secret peace meetings in Finland between Iraqi Sunni and Shiite groups.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>For discussion</strong></h4> <p><strong>1.</strong>&nbsp;What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><strong>2.&nbsp;</strong>Ahtisaari has helped to solve conflicts that result from ethnic, religious, racial and power disputes. In each case, what makes their solution so difficult?</p> <p><strong>3.</strong>&nbsp;Do you agree with him that "Every conflict can be solved"? Can you name any international conflicts other than the ones discussed in the reading that have been solved? That haven't?</p> <p><strong>4.&nbsp;</strong>Resolving conflicts usually involves a win-win solution. What do you understand such a solution to mean? Did the Serbia-Kosovo conflict produce a win-win solution? Why or why not? Northern Ireland?</p> <p><strong>5.</strong>&nbsp;While Ahtisaari has had much success in his mediations, he has also received criticism. Why? How justified is such criticism? If you don't know but wanted to find out, how would you go about it?<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4>Inquiry</h4> <p>For independent and/or small group inquiry, ask students to frame a question or two on one of the conflicts named in the reading (or another conflict). See "<a href="http://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/thinking-questioning">Thinking Is Questioning</a>" for suggested approaches to teaching question-asking and question-analysis. After students get the teacher's approval for their question, they can investigate it, then prepare a written report and/or presentation to the class.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This essay was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We&nbsp;welcome your comments. Please email them to:<a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a>.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2008-10-29T00:00:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 00:00">October 29, 2008</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000 fionta 923 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org Gore & UN Panel Win Nobel for Work on Climate Change https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/gore-un-panel-win-nobel-work-climate-change <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>Gore &amp; UN Panel Win Nobel for Work on Climate Change</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p class="byline"><b>To the Teacher:</b></p> <p>This is about as teachable a moment as we'll ever get to study global warming and climate change with students. The student reading below deals with the recent awarding of the Nobel Prize to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work on global warming. The reading includes a few of the basic facts and a view of what can and should be done.</p> <p>Each of the following materials on this website offers further information and activities for students.</p> <p><a href="/teachable-moment/lessons/energy-environment-what-can-we-do">"Energy and the Environment: What Can We Do?</a>" includes an array of action opportunities for students.</p> <p><a href="/teachable-moment/lessons/paying-climate-change">"Paying for Climate Change"</a> offers an overview of a British government study and an IPCC February 2007 report on climate change.</p> <p><a href="/teachable-moment/lessons/youth-action-climate-change">"Youth Action on Climate Change"</a> includes additional action opportunities and also lists useful websites. A relatively new one is the Alliance for Climate Protection, an organization founded last year by Al Gore: <a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/">https://www.climaterealityproject.org/</a><br> <a href="/teachable-moment/lessons/problems-pump">"Problems at the Pump"</a> provides basic information about oil, gas and the U.S.</p> <p><a href="/teachable-moment/lessons/unpleasant-news-about-global-warming">"The Unpleasant News About Global Warming"</a> includes a number of quotes from scientists about global warming, information on is being done about it and a suggested approach to launching a student project.</p> <hr> <h3>Student Reading</h3> <p>The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize award to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations network of scientists, has focused global attention on climate change and global warming.</p> <p>Why would efforts on global warming warrant a "peace prize"? The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained that Gore and the UN panel had focused "on the processes and decisions that appear to be necessary to protect the world's future climate, and thereby reduce the future threat to the security of mankind." Threats to that security could include violent competitions for resources as well as devastating coastal flooding and crop failures that might displace millions of people.</p> <p>The final words of the Nobel Committee: "Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man's control."</p> <p>Former vice president Gore has been speaking out and writing on global warming for many years. But his Academy Award winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," brought the subject and its importance to the attention of millions of people in a popular form.</p> <p>The other Nobel winner, the IPCC, was founded in 1988 to address global warming. Prominent scientific specialists from around the world participate in the IPCC's working groups and task force. The panel has issued three detailed reports so far, which have concluded that:</p> <ul> <li>Global climate change is occurring.</li> <li>Human activities since the beginning of the industrial revolution, but particularly during the past 50 years, are the main force behind the buildup of greenhouse gases causing climate change.</li> <li>If we do not significantly cut our planet's greenhouse gas emissions, further warming will occur and produce additional changes in the global climate system.</li> <li>Human beings have the knowledge and the technologies to reduce greenhouse gas<br> emissions at a relatively low cost.</li> </ul> <p>The IPCC is expected to issue another report before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Indonesia on December 3. At that conference, representatives from some 180 nations will begin negotiations on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The Kyoto agreement, reached in 1997, is an international treaty requiring signing nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.</p> <p>In May 2007, when the IPCC issued its third report, William Moomaw, a lead author of a chapter on energy options and a professor of international environmental policy at Tufts University, said:</p> <p>"Here in the early years of the 21st century, we're looking for an energy revolution that's as comprehensive as the one that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century when we went from gaslight and horse-drawn carriages to light bulbs and automobiles. In 1905, only 3 percent of homes had electricity. Right now, 3 percent is about the same range as the amount of renewable energy we have today. None of us can predict the future any more than we could in 1905, but that suggests to me it may not be impossible to make that kind of revolution again." ( <em>New York Times,</em> 5/4/07)</p> <p>That "energy revolution," as the IPCC noted in its third report, "could offset the projected growth of global emissions or reduce emissions below current levels" and include: "hybrid cars, combined heat and power plants, better lighting, improved crop-plowing techniques, better forestry, higher efficiency aircraft, and tidal energy among others..." (Bill McKibben, "Can Anyone Stop It?" <em>New York Review,</em> 10/11/07)</p> <p>Michael Oppenheimer, an atmospheric scientist at Princeton who has worked on the IPCC's climate assessments, commented that "The award reminds us that expert advice can influence people and policy, that sometimes governments do listen to reason and that the idea that reason can guide human action is very much alive, if not yet fully realized....Public attention is now engaged at the highest level it will probably ever be."</p> <p>When he received the Nobel Prize, Al Gore said, "I will accept this award on behalf of all the people that have been working so long and so hard to try to get the message out about this planetary emergency. I'm going back to work right now." (<em>New York Times,</em> 10/13/07)</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">For discussion</p> <p><b>1.</b> What questions do you have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><b>2.</b> What do you know about global warming and climate change?</p> <p><b>3.</b> Why do scientists think it is essential to act on global warming and climate change?</p> <p><b>4.</b> What would you like to learn more about? How can we find the information we need?</p> <p><b>5.</b> Why is it so difficult to get the nations of the world to take strong measures to curb global warming? If you don't know, how might you find out?</p> <p><b>6.</b> Consider the U.S., which is responsible for 25 percent of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Why did President Bush oppose joining the Kyoto Protocol? What are his ideas for reducing greenhouse gases? What do his critics say about them?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left"><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We</em> <em>welcome your comments. Please email them to: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2007-10-16T14:39:05-04:00" title="Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 14:39">October 16, 2007</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:39:05 +0000 fionta 977 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner: Potential of the Poor https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/2006-nobel-peace-prize-winner-potential-poor <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span>2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner: Potential of the Poor</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p class="byline"><b>To the Teacher:</b></p> <p>The award of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize to Muhammad Yunus focuses attention on how a series of small, practical steps by one person has helped alleviate poverty in Bangladesh. It also offers an opportunity to discuss with students the links between peace, ending poverty, democracy, and human rights. The reading summarizes Yunus' work over the past 30 years and suggests an approach for a student project on an issue or problem of serious concern to them.<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h2>Student Reading:</h2> <h3>Muhammad Yunus, the Grameen Bank and Breaking Out of Poverty</h3> <p>"We tried to ignore it. But then skeleton-like people began showing up in the capital, Dhaka. Soon the trickle became a flood. Hungry people were everywhere. Often they sat so still that one could not be sure whether they were alive or dead. They all looked alike: men, women, children. Old people looked like children. Children looked like old people."</p> <p>This description of the capital city of Bangladesh during a famine in the mid 1970s comes from <em>Banker to the Poor</em> , a book by Muhammad Yunus, an economics professor at Chittagong University. Yunus also described his visit to a nearby village, Jobra, where women made bamboo furniture. The women had to borrow money to buy the bamboo from moneylenders who charged very high interest. Bangladeshi banks would not loan money at more reasonable rates because they thought the women's business was a bad credit risk. The women sold the completed furniture to repay their loans and ended up with just a penny or two of profit.</p> <p>After Muhammad Yunus heard this story, he took $27 from his pocket and loaned it to the 42 women who were manufacturing the bamboo furniture.</p> <p>"This created such excitement among the people in the village that I wanted to continue. I said to myself, if you can make so many people happy with such a small amount of money, why shouldn't you do more of it?" But Yunus was unable to convince a local bank to lend small amounts to the poor. Bank officials would not take the chance that they might not be repaid. So Yunus offered himself as guarantor and began a "micro-lending" (small loan) project.</p> <p>This was the beginning of Yunus' 30-year effort to make the lives of the legions of Bangladeshi poor more livable. Bangladesh is an Asian country about the size of Wisconsin with a population of 146 million. Its per capita income is $456; more than one-third of its people are illiterate.</p> <p>Yunus started his project by "signing papers, taking money from the bank, and giving it to people for entrepreneurial activities. It worked perfectly," he said. "People were paying back 100 percent without a problem."</p> <p>By 1983 he thought the project was so successful that he set up his own Grameen Bank (Grameen means "village" in Bangla, the language of Bangladesh) and continued micro-lending. The average amount loaned became about $200. The bank now has 6.6 million borrowers, 95% of them poor women who have borrowed a total of more than $4 billion. All but one percent have repaid their loans. The bank now reaches 70,000 villages in Bangladesh and is majority-owned by the rural poor.</p> <p>One project stimulated the next. Most of the women's children were illiterate. Muhammad Yunus would not make a loan unless the borrower promised that his or her children would, at a minimum, complete primary school. He says that many of the children have gone much further in school than that.</p> <p>Most Bangladeshi villagers have no electricity and no telephones in their homes. Yunus thought: Why not provide the villagers with cell phones? And why not build solar panels to recharge their batteries? Now 55,000 villagers are able to communicate by cell phone to promote their businesses as well as to talk with friends.</p> <p>Bangladesh has many homeless, illiterate beggars. Overcoming their hopeless dependence is a monumental task. What could these people do other than approach people, their hands outstretched? Put something in their hands to sell, thought Yunus. He arranged to provide food, toys, and knickknacks from local stores for beggars to sell. The beggars return unsold items to the stores, and their loans are covered by the bank.</p> <p>Some analysts, such as economist Robert Pollin of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, caution that while Bangladesh and Bolivia have very successful microcredit programs, "They also remain two of the poorest countries in the world." About 80 percent of Bangladesh's people still live on less than $2 a day.</p> <p>Pollin stresses that such rapidly advancing countries as South Korea and Taiwan "relied for a generation on massive, publicly subsidized credit programs to support manufacturing and exports. They are now approaching West European living standards. Poor countries need...to promote not simply exports but land reform, marketing cooperatives, a functioning infrastructure and, most of all, decent jobs." (Alexander Cockburn, "The Myth of Microloans," <em>The Nation</em> , 11/6/06)</p> <p>And yet, counters P. Sainath, an Indian journalist on economic policy, "a lot of poor women have eased their lives by using microloans."</p> <p>A recent example of Yunus' persistence in helping the poor has been his direction of a joint venture of Grameen Bank and Groupe Danone, a French food company. In November 2006 the result was Grameen Danone, which opened the first fortified-yogurt plant in Dhaka, Bangladesh.</p> <p>Yunus was the driving force behind an agreement "to build 50 small, labor-intensive plants rather than one large and highly automated one as [Groupe Danone] does in the rest of the world, so more workers and suppliers would benefit from it." This is yet another example of Yunus' determination to strike at the roots of poverty.</p> <p>"My position," Yunus said, "has been that poverty has not been created by the poor people. The system has created them—the system being institutions, the concepts or framework of living. That's where the seed of poverty is. Either we pluck them out so that poverty disappears or if this is so involved that you cannot pick them out, you have to create an institution which is free from this virus."</p> <p>Yunus and his Grameen Bank associates monitor their work daily to see how many of the millions of Bangladeshi who have borrowed money for at least five years are no longer poor. They ask such questions as: Does the roof of their house protect them from the rain? Is their latrine sanitary? Are their children in school? Do they have a mosquito net? A blanket? Warm clothing for the winter? Enough bank savings? Access to safe drinking water? (Vikas Bajaj, "Out to Maximize Social Gains, Not Profit," <em>New York Times</em> , 12/9/06)</p> <p>Yunus' vision, determination, and know-how have led to programs of entrepreneurship, education, communication, nutrition, and health. In announcing its award, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee stated: "Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means. Development from below also serves democracy and human rights... Every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life... Yunus and the Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development." (<a href="http://www.nobelprize.org">www.nobelprize.org</a>)</p> <p style="font-weight: bold">Other sources:</p> <p>Stanford Graduate School of Business (<a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu">www.gsb.stanford.edu</a>)<br> MSNBC (<a href="http://www.msnbc.com">www.msnbc.com</a>)<br> BBC News (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk">www.bbc.co.uk</a>)<br> Wikipedia (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunus">www.en.wikipedia.org</a>)<br> United States State Department (<a href="http://www.state.gov">www.state.gov</a>)<br> <em>New York Times,</em> 10/14/06<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <h4><strong>For discussion</strong></h4> <p><b>1.</b> What questions do students have about the reading? How might they be answered?</p> <p><b>2.</b> What seem to have been Muhammad Yunus' basic principles for developing a project?</p> <p><b>3.</b> The Nobel Prize Committee in its award statement links "lasting peace" with "large population groups" finding ways "to break out of poverty." Do you see as a connection between the two? How?</p> <p><b>4.</b> How might it promote "democracy and human rights" if large groups of people were able to break out of poverty?</p> <p><b>5.</b> What evidence is there that micro-loans are not a full answer to the problem of poverty? What more needs to be done, according to Professor Pollin?</p> <p><b>6.</b> Consider Pollin's mention of "land reform" and "decent jobs," for example. What barriers do you know of that might stand in the way of realizing such reforms?</p> <p><b>7.</b> What do you think Yunus meant when he said, "poverty has not been created by the poor people. The system has created them"? What "system" does he mean? What is a "labor-intensive" plant? How does Yunus' insistence on 50 "labor-intensive" plants, rather than one automated plant, constitute an attack on "the system"?</p> <p><b>8.</b> What do you think about Grameen's poverty indicators? What do they tell you about life for the poor in Bangladesh? What other indicators, if any, would you add and why?<br> &nbsp;</p> <h4><strong>For discussion and citizenship</strong></h4> <p>Major world problems like poverty, oppression, racism, war, and global warming feel overwhelming. Yet there have always been—and still are—individuals who act to address such enormous problems.</p> <p>Consider U.S. history. Name one person who acted and made a difference in the American Revolution, the abolitionist movement, the labor movement, the feminist movement, the civil rights movement.</p> <p>Keep in mind that besides those whose names and deeds make it into the history books (such as Tom Paine, Frederick Douglass, Mother Jones, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King), there have been countless others who worked beside them or in their neighborhoods and towns for the same cause. They are likely to have started, like Muhammad Yunus, very small and then, maybe, one thing led to another.</p> <p>What about your own history? Name someone you know who has acted on perhaps a small but significant, problem and made a difference. Who is this person? What was the problem? What did he or she do? What difference did it make?</p> <p>What about your neighborhood? your town? your school? What problems, what issues come to mind? Get a conversation going, perhaps in small groups, perhaps in the entire class. What does the group really care about? What project, or perhaps projects, might the group consider? Then go to work.</p> <p><strong>Some basic considerations in getting started:</strong></p> <p><b>1.</b> What exactly is the project? Define it carefully.</p> <p><b>2.</b> Who will work on it?</p> <p><b>3.</b> What do you hope to accomplish? Create a vision statement with no more than a few simple goals.</p> <p><b>4.</b> What will be the work plan? What do you need to find out? How? Is there opposition to what you want to do? Why? What will each person in the group do? When and where will it meet? How will it evaluate progress?</p> <p>For a comprehensive guide for learning and citizenship see Mark Hyman's discussion on the landmine issue in Chris Weber's book, <em>Nurturing the Peacemakers in Our Students: A Guide to Writing &amp; Speaking Out About Issues of War &amp; Peace,</em> Heinemann, 2006<br> &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p style="text-align: left"><em>This lesson was written for TeachableMoment.Org, a project of Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. We</em> <em>welcome your comments. Please email them to: <a href="mailto:lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org">lmcclure@morningsidecenter.org</a></em><br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span>fionta</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--teachable-moment-lesson.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2006-10-31T13:00:00-05:00" title="Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 13:00">October 31, 2006</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap/templates/system/links.html.twig' --> Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:00:00 +0000 fionta 1009 at https://www.morningsidecenter.org