Author: Mr. Lakhaney

TOK Teacher

Choices Unit: The Syrian Civil War

August 12, 2021

What caused the conflict in Syria, and how should the international community respond?

The Syrian Civil War and resulting refugee crisis is one of the defining humanitarian issues of our time. Since 2011, the violence of the conflict has prompted about half of the country’s population to flee from their homes—nearly seven million refugees have fled the country and more than six million Syrians are internally displaced. The war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and injured more than a million people. The Syrian Civil War provides students with the historical basis to understand the recent conflict, exploring the legacies of colonialism, sectarianism, and authoritarianism that continue to shape the country today. Throughout the curriculum, students explore how Syrian social movements and resistance have shaped the country’s history, considering the experiences and perspectives of Syrians from the past to the present. The unit is divided into three parts. Each part includes:

The Syrian Civil War

How ‘Sustainable’ Development Ravaged the Congo Basin

August 12, 2021

Pygmies and wildlife coexisted for millennia—until conservation coupled with extractive industries arrived

In the pitch-black darkness, sitting on the forest floor with our bodies so close that we touch, we sing, each voice producing a different yodeled melody to create a densely overlapping harmony. As the hours pass, individual melodies melt into one another, and we begin to lose ourselves in the human and acoustic tapestry we have created. The intensity of the singing builds…

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-sustainable-development-ravaged-the-congo-basin/

The WHO isn’t perfect, but it needs more money and power, not less

August 12, 2021

The WHO needs more authority, not less. 

It needs the capabilities to independently investigate outbreaks and to provide rapid and significant support to control those outbreaks where they occur. The WHO should be able to fund and coordinate the development and global rollout of tests, equipment, treatments, and vaccines, and it should be able to rely on other parts of the United Nations to support a financial response designed to limit the economic costs of an outbreak. The WHO has many of these powers on paper. What it needs is more money to execute them.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/15/999085/who-trump-funding-cut-bad/?truid=e0dd2cbe984961ceccec29c613c6f06f

Human Rights Course Online Video Series

August 12, 2021

This free digital course about human rights is meant to expose students to the concept of human rights. Our goal is to leave students with an understanding of what rights they have, and why they are important. Students should also leave the course with the ability to identify their rights and those of people in their family and community. You can watch it here on Youtube, or to get the full experience you can check out the full course at http://www.allversity.org!

Pluralism and Inequality in Nigeria: Factors Inhibiting and Promoting Development

August 12, 2021

Interesting resource designed specifically for the IB Global Politics course.

Pluralism and Inequality in Nigeria: Factors Inhibiting and Promoting Development
pluralism-and-inequality-in-nigeria-presentation-finalDownload
gcp-teaching-unit-nigeria-workbook-final-webDownload
gcp-teaching-unit-nigeria-overview-final-webDownload

W.H.O. Warns That Pipeline for New Antibiotics Is Running Dry

August 12, 2021

In two new reports, the global health agency says only government intervention can fix the broken market for new antimicrobial drugs.

Some 700,000 people die each year because medicines that once cured their conditions are no long effective. Yet the vast majority of the 60 new antimicrobial products in development worldwide are variations on existing therapies, and only a handful target the most dangerous drug-resistant infections, the agency said in a report.

Throughline Podcast: The Invisible Border (Ireland)

August 12, 2021

Today, the border that divides Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is “soft”, in most places you could almost forget that it’s there. But for decades it was a deadly flash point in the bitter conflict known as “The Troubles”. This week, we share an episode from Today, Explained that takes a look at the history of this conflict and how Brexit could jeopardize a fragile peace.

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/26/809768491/the-invisible-border