Global Thesis Update: Reinventing the UN: An Update for the 21st Century

By: Regi Monroe

As J.B. Mathews put it, “The United Nations could not be less of a cruel hoax if it had been organized in Hell for the sole purpose of aiding and abetting the destruction of the United States”.[1] Though this is a harsh description, there is some truth behind his words. The United Nations was a by-product of the endings and victors of World War II: it is outdated and does not reflect the workings of a world more than a half-century later. Details like the special position of the permanent five have undermined this governing bodies’ credibility. Also, the bureaucracy and inefficiency are just two examples of the overlapping jurisdictions that handicap the executive aspects of the UN. This ineffective world government must be fixed so the international community can move forward and prepare for this new millennium.

Within my Global Thesis I have proposed a large-scale movement to reform and reinvent the United Nations to update it to the 21^st century. As one of the presidents of the Model UN Club at GFA, I have experienced the UN’s inefficiencies first hand in our yearly participation in mock UN conferences. To me the United Nations has always been a fascinating and promising governing body. However, its bureaucratic tendencies and inefficiency has always pained me. I decided that for my Global Thesis I would research ways in which the UN could be enhanced. My thesis combines ideas from all over the political spectrum including reforms that I made myself.

While there is no doubt that the United Nations was a revolutionary and brilliant idea in 1945, it is the year 2012 where its outdated ideology and format are dragging down our international community. Despite proposed reforms, the ancient charter and untouchable Security Council, render possible reform to the Untied Nations impossible. Furthermore, as the world-renowned historian Thomas Weiss said when talking about reforming the United Nations, “Every potential solution, however, brings as many problems as it solves. And no amount of diplomatic theatre can eliminate that reality.”[2]  This personifies the puzzle of the United Nations and the ultimate challenge our global community has in facing the 21^st century.

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[1] Madeleine Albright, “United Nations, the United Nations has Become Irrelevant”, Think Again Magazine (October 2003), 17 JSTOR.

[2] Weiss, What’s Wrong with the United Nations and How to Fix it, 55.

Global Thesis Update: Sex Trafficking in Thailand: The Inevitable Relapse

By: Charlie Ross `12

If anyone has seen the riveting movie “Taken” or sat through the “The Hangover 2”, you have a small peek into the global problem of sex trafficking. These movies are great in their eye catching, dramatic and hilarious plot lines.  In “Taken” a man’s daughter is kidnapped on a trip to Paris and is abused, drugged and almost sucked to a global trafficking web.  And in the “Hangover 2”, the scene portrays the incredibly visible sex industry in Thailand.  They offer a small and a slightly sensational window into how sex trafficking is perceived by the popular media.  But with my research this year, I have fortunately had the chance to understand sex trafficking at a deeper level.  Specifically, I have looked at sex trafficking through a lens of gender and human relations.

While I have looked at the initial problem of women getting involved in sex trafficking, I have focused my project on the inevitable relapse of women back into sex trafficking.  Police raids and planned escapes can physically displace a female victim from the brothel, however, that is not the end of the story.  For example, she may have an emotional or economic attachment to the certain brothel.  Another possibility is that she might have a drug addiction that is satisfied at a certain supplying brothel.  Whatever it may be, these detracting problems of drug abuse and attachment are compounded by various different factors.  In countries such as Thailand, gender inequalities in Thai culture can affect a woman’s self-perception, power and niche in society.  Often times, these compounded factors can send women back into sex trafficking in spite of efforts to free them.

Forgiveness and a Thread to Follow

The following post is based on a talk that MS English teacher, Robbi Hart, delivered to the Upper School.  Robbi’s words are a reflection of her time spent in Rwanda this past summer as a part of GFA’s Faculty Travel Grant program.  More information about GFA’s budding relationship with the IEE Teacher Training Program in Rwanda will follow in the coming weeks.

 

By:  Robbi Hart (MS English)

Could you forgive a person that murdered your family?  What would it take?  How long would it last?  How fragile would it be?  Those questions haunted me for months after I watched the IEE film As We Forgive and, ultimately, led to my journey to Rwanda this past summer on a GFA travel grant.  While my trip was, equally importantly, designed to forge a partnership between our school and the IEE Teacher Training Program, my first pull to this tiny country, ignored by the world in 1994 when it experienced the worst genocide since World War II, was to witness the reconciliation process firsthand.

During a period of 100 days close to a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu men, women, and children were killed in Rwanda, most of them slaughtered with machetes and crude farming tools by their very own neighbors. By the time the massacre ended, one-fifth of the country’s population was dead, two out of three surviving women were infected with HIV/AIDS, and a country that previously did not have the word “orphan” in its vocabulary was left with over 400,000 orphans and more than 85,000 households headed by children. A new term, ihahamuka, had to be coined to describe the complex psychological disorders resulting from the genocide.

Most of the world assumed that Rwanda would become a poster child for self-destruction; however, it has instead become a symbol of reconciliation and rebirth, a phoenix rising from the ashes.  In the aftermath of the genocide, faced with 120,000 prisoners he could no longer detain, President Paul Kagame had to find a way to reintegrate the perpetrators of the genocide into their original homes and communities, often living next door to their victims.

He and Bishop Rucyahana came up with a specially crafted solution – using local courts, called Gacacas, where killers stood before their neighbors, confessed their crimes, and in turn were offered forgiveness. He had to replace centuries of European Imperialism that sought to create divisions between Tutsis and Hutus with a new national identity as united Rwandans.

Bishop John Rucyahana, founder of Prison Fellowship International, architect of the Reconciliation process, and Minister of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, is, apart from Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, one of the most influential men in Africa, but through a friend of Patti Hiller, I was able to arrange a meeting.  As we sat under a bamboo gazebo sipping ginger-spiced African tea, my small foursome learned how the reconciliation process is working and what the Rwandan people can teach the world. When I asked the bishop if he had a message for our students back home, he said, “Tell them, I have the choice not to forgive, to hold onto bitterness and anger and rage.  But I also have the choice to forgive and to move on, and through that forgiveness to bless the children of the perpetrators.  Rwanda is our country.  Nobody can do it for us.  Forgiveness is our responsibility.”

His honesty and generosity in sharing both the pain and the promise of Rwanda was found in everyone I encountered during my visit.  Guma Alexandre, with PFI Restorative Justice, cleared an entire day to allow us to interview former prisoners, attend a 2-hour village reconciliation meeting, and visit genocide memorials at Nyamata and Ntarama.  The images of those memorials – where blood-stained clothing lines the church benches, mortar shells lie strewn beside family photos and maimed skulls, and statues of the Virgin Mary watch with hands folded in prayer – are not forgotten.  Yet they are mysteriously and powerfully woven into a firm resolve of “Never again” and a message of forgiveness and understanding.

Matteus, a former Hutu prisoner who killed his neighbor’s family, stands next to the only survivor of that family.  Her forehead bears the deep imprints of the masus, or nail-studded clubs, that were used to try to kill her.  After 9 years in prison and 13 reconciliation meetings over 2 years, Matteus has been accepted back into the community and now makes bricks out of water and soil.  Sitting beside them under the shade of a banana tree, listening to a language I did not know, their acceptance, even affection, for one another was palpable.

The first night I arrived in Rwanda was the last night of the 100-day mourning period.  I stayed awake most of the night listening to music from nearby churches, blaring radios, people in the streets, and guard dogs barking.  Because so few could bury their dead, this 100-day period is kept sacred still, 17 years later, to allow the healing to continue.  It is followed by an even more important commemoration, the Day of Liberation.  On that day I was fortunate to join 40,000 Rwandans gathered in the Amohoro Stadium to recall the blessings, remember the scars, and hear President Kagame renew his government’s pledge to build unity, transparency, and prosperity.

At the end of my journey to Rwanda I found that my camera, memories, and journals were filled not with images of pain and suffering, anger and self-pity, but instead with reassurances of gratitude, hope, and understanding.  I returned to my heavy questions, no longer haunted.  If Rwandans can reconcile with those who have slaughtered their own families, how much more can we forgive the offenses in our lives? One high school student, after viewing a more recent film from Rwanda (Kinyarwandan), said it best: “Perhaps forgiveness is the final stage of human evolution.”  I believe it can be.

My journey to Rwanda started with a quote I held onto from my eighth grade term paper on Cry, The Beloved Country: “I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering.” Although that quote and that book were powerful, I felt skeptical, and I feared that another quote from the book might prove more true – “I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they (the whites of South Africa) have turned to loving, they will find we (the blacks) are turned to hating.”  Experiences in South Africa and Rwanda have shown the world that while human beings are capable of horrific hatred and suffering, they are also capable of unbelievable grace and compassion, even forgiveness.

I offer you that thread of hope to take with you today.  Read, explore, and find other places in this fractured world where they are building new ties and hope.  Then share the news so we can all carry the thread, feel the promise, and shoulder the responsibility.

MS Capstone Excerpt: The Role of Women in Celtic and Catholic Ireland

The following text is an excerpt from the introduction to Maeve’s Flaherty’s Capstone paper.  The Capstone Project is a compulsory, in-depth research project that allows every 8th-grade student to explore, write about and present on his/her passion.  In much the same way that we have featured a series of Global Thesis Updates from our 12th-grade researchers, over the next couple of weeks our hope is to highlight some of the insightful, globally oriented work that is coming out of the Capstone program.

By: Maeve Flaherty, 8th Grade

Celtic Ireland was an ancient society where woman experienced a rare amount of freedom, particularly in comparison to Ireland after the arrival of Christianity.  Looking at the myths and laws of the late Celtic world and the early Christian conversion of Ireland, it is apparent that the Celtic world was more open to women.  Although both societies were patriarchal, the mythology of the Ulster Cycle and the story of Ireland’s patron Saint, Brigid, show very different types of women, and the different societal roles that the two cultures accepted.  These mythological and historical characters were governed through Celtic law, the Brehon laws, and Canon Law.  Through comparison of the laws and stories of the two societies, it is apparent that Celtic Ireland was far more tolerant of women in positions of power and the workforce than the early Catholic times.

The legal system of Celtic Ireland codified into law a society where women were protected, educated, and given rights similar or equal to those of men.  The law of the Fenechus of Ireland, meaning “free land tillers”, was a very complicated but unified system of law governing Ireland.  They are more popularly known as the Brehon laws, coming from the word breatheamh, meaning “judge”.  Originally the Brehon Laws were transmitted orally, memorized by the Brehons who judged and served kingdoms across Ireland.  The earliest known written copy is located in the Book of the Dun Cow, although several other texts have survived the centuries in a fragmented state.  In 438, King Laoghaire of Tara established a commission to examine, revise and set the laws down in writing.[1]  In the Brehon Laws that King Laoghaire codified, women feature prominently.  Much can be found about the position of women in society from how they are regarded in law, and the Brehon Laws contain a wealth of information.

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[1] Ellis, Peter Berresford. The Ancient World of the Celts. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998. Print.

Challenge 20/20 on the Nile Basin and the Allocation of Water

Excerpts from the following reflection will appear in the spring GFA Alumni Magazine.  The magazine will feature articles from current students and alumni on the centrality that the global water crisis has taken in our curriculum and in our students’ interests in college and beyond.  As those who have been following this blog will know, this year’s World Perspectives Symposium will feature two Global Thesis presentations that are focused on water issues as well as the Challenge 20/20 presentation.

Regi Monroe '12, Aubrey Carter '12, Isabelle Canaan '12

By: Isabelle Canaan ’12

It seems to be the year of water. Everywhere you look, philanthropists, politicians, and scientists are coining water as this generation’s oil or gold, the root cause of many of the environmental and political conflicts, both contemporary and to come. It is impossible to avoid the growing water problem and our Challenge 20/20 group wanted to explore this. As a group, we have strengths in Environmental Science, International Relations and Black Gold and multiple history courses, and we felt that dealing with the water crisis best combined these strengths and interests.

We spent the first couple of months figuring out what the water crisis is and what facet of it we wanted to focus on, each doing individual projects on arid or depleted areas such as India, Central Africa, Australia and the Middle East.  Ultimately we decided that it was important for us to focus on the political and socio-economic parts of the water crisis rather than just the environmental factors. After much discussion, we settled not on one country, as has been typical of 20/20 groups in the past, but instead to zero in on a river system and a region that incorporates many different nations and different tensions and policies. As there are a number of Global Thesis projects on the issue of water, we wanted to steer clear of their areas of expertise (China, Middle East).

In choosing to focus on the Nile River Basin system, and specifically Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, we settled on one of the oldest and most complicated river systems in the world. We have delved deep into colonial history, studying the time line of British imperialism in the region and the impact of this colonization on contemporary water issues. Each of these nations presents an extremely unique challenge as they are all very much at the forefront of world news today. Egypt was one of the first countries in the Arab Spring and has recently been going through a transition that has changed policy and priorities. South Sudan just broke away from the Republic of Sudan, a geopolitical shift that has changed the way we look at the Nile River Basin region. Ethiopia, long entrenched in conflict with Somalia, has recently been engaged in back-and-forth attacks. As these nations’ situations are so fluid, it has been very important for us to couple our historical reading and journal discoveries with news sources in order to avoid missing the facts on the ground as they are developing.

The Challenge 20/20 project is focused not only on identifying a problem but in proposing a solution. In forming our solutions, we are looking to interview members NGO’s and to take helpful information from a lecture by water expert Steven Solomon to propose both short-term and long-term solutions. As of right now, one of the coolest parts of the 20/20 experience was bumping into an Ethiopian cab driver in Washington DC and hearing his take on the water crisis. It made the whole project much more personal as we were no longer dealing with these large states and governments, but with the reality of thousands of people.

Middle School French Students Travel to Quebec

Our group in front of le Chateau de Frontenac.

By: Anne-Sophie Reynaud (MS Faculty)

On Feb 17^th 44 middle school students and 5 chaperones went on a great adventure to discover Quebec and to put in practice what they all learned in their respective French classes. After a long 10-hour drive, we arrived in this beautiful old city and started our trip strolling down the gorgeous streets of Canada’s oldest neighborhood and stopped at the Musée du Fort where we relived the rich history of the Plains of Abraham.

After a wonderful breakfast at the Huron-Wendat village on Saturday morning, where we learned about their culture and customs, our group was ready to make the most of the gorgeous weather and enjoy our fun-filled day in this beautiful region of Canada. We started off by killing two birds with one stone, buying some souvenirs and practicing our French in the old city. The highlight of the day, however,  was definitely tubing at night! What a great feeling it was to go down those really steep slopes in the dark! On our way home, our

Getting reading for some serious hiking in the snow.

fantastic guide, Françis and Robert le chauffeur extraordinaire had planned a great surprise for us with a singing/dancing extravaganza. I think it’s fair to say that none of us will ever forget the song!

After such a great day on Saturday, we were all very tired on Sunday morning but a great breakfast perked us up and we were ready to take on the activities of the day. We were again blessed with glorious sunshine and reasonably “warm” temperature (well, it’s all relative). Our group was very excited about the morning activities. We all knew that snowshoeing and dog-sledding would be incredible experiences and none of us could wait to get started! After an invigorating hike in the forest, we were all introduced to our dogs and were given instructions as to how to control them. To say that our dogs were very eager to take us on a ride through the heart of the Canadian forest would be an understatement! After a stop at the ice hotel, we were on our way to the sugar shack, admittedly the best part of the trip. Students and chaperones alike enjoyed wonderful homemade Canadian food and a show of typical folk music and dancing.

Monday morning came too quickly but after a yummy breakfast at “le Parlementaire”, it was time to say goodbye to Quebec and head for home, our heads full of fond memories.

The ultimate winter adventure: Dogsledding in the forest.At the sugar shack making the most of our last night in Quebec.

Global Thesis Update: Big Cats of Iran

By: Teymoor Tahbaz ’12

Big cats have traditionally played an important role in Iranian history and culture, particularly the Asiatic (Persian) lion. Prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and since the 17th century, in the middle of the Iranian flag, stood a lion holding a sword with a rising sun behind its back. Known as “Shear o’ Khorshied,” meaning ‘lion and sun.’ The lion on the flag was in fact a Persian lion (became extinct in the early 20th century). After the revolution, this insignia was removed and replaced with a stylized “Allah,” symbolizing the new Islamic state. Ironically, the Islamic revolution of 1978-1979 that brought an end to the Shah’s regime also brought most, if not all, conservation efforts to an abrupt stop.

There are countless contributing factors that are driving the Asiatic cheetah and Persian leopard toward extinction. The heart of the problem lies with Iran’s rapidly growing population, and is exacerbated by a lack of prioritization and not taking the necessary steps to preserve the natural habitat of the big cats. The increasing number of people has led to an increase in the development of towns and cities, which in turn has led to an increase in roadways. Thus, there is a greater presence of motor vehicles, resulting in many collisions with cheetahs and/or leopards, and consequently killing them. In addition, Iran’s growing population is in need of more food. Hence, there is a significant increase in the amount of land used to sustain agriculture, which has also led to deforestation, overgrazing and depletion of pastures. The fourth critical component is the increase in pollution and lack of environmental ethics. The combination of these factors has led to the decimation of the herds of goitered gazelle, red deer, roe deer, wild sheep and Ibex, which subsequently has had a significant negative impact on the Asiatic cheetah and the Persian leopard populations.

There are numerous initiatives being taken to address the rapidly declining big cat populations throughout Iran. Unfortunately, this is not enough. One overarching solution is to generate domestic and international campaigns that would allocate a larger budget towards wildlife conservation and international assistance, whether in capital or active participation in conservation efforts.

Iran is full of diverse species of flora and fauna. However, many species of fauna, particularly felines, are critically endangered, on the verge of extinction or are already extinct. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the Asiatic cheetah as critically endangered and the Persian leopard endangered. Over the last thirty years, a significant amount of poaching and human encroachment has led to the decimation of not only the Asiatic cheetah and the Persian leopard populations, but also of their prey. As of 2000, the IUCN has declared twenty-three species of mammals in Iran as either endangered or threatened. In recent years, a number of individuals and NGOs (non-government organizations), working with the approval and cooperation of the Iranian Department of Environment, have championed the cause of fighting for these felines and hope to stabilize their populations. Yet the populations of both these cats are still in decline despite recent conservation efforts. Clearly, more help is needed. Domestic and international campaigns must go to great lengths to raise awareness and funds to help reduce the risk of extinction of the Asiatic cheetah and Persian leopard.

The Acinonyx jubatus (ssp. venaticus (Asiatic cheetah)) and the Panthera pardus (ssp. saxicolor (Persian leopard)) are in dire need of help. Both of these felines exist in Iran, and the cheetah is critically endangered (only 60-100 remaining in the world) and the leopard is endangered (roughly 600 remaining in Iran). If there is to be any hope in bringing the populations of these big cats back to sustainable levels, a coordinated domestic and international conservation effort is required. For this to happen, it must first become a local priority in Iran. In addition, a concerted international effort that would encourage scientific exchange in the fields of conservation and environmental science and go a long way in assuring the long-term survivability of these species.