Conflict, Peace, Human Rights and Global Governance

MYP Unit Framework

Key Concept: GLOBAL INTERACTIONS Related Concepts: Conflict. Cooperation. Justice. Global Context: Fairness and Development (How do we create a more JUST and PEACEFUL world?) Statement of Inquiry: The 20th century witnessed UNPRECEDENTED destruction through war AND unprecedented attempts to build INSTITUTIONS for peace and justice — and the TENSION between nationalism and global cooperation continues to define international relations.

Inquiry Questions

1. War and Conflict in the 20th Century

WWI (1914–1918) — The 'War to End All Wars'

Causes (M.A.I.N.): Militarism (arms race). Alliances (Triple Entente vs. Triple Alliance). Imperialism (competition for colonies). Nationalism. 'The spark: assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The powder keg: Europe had been preparing for war for DECADES. The assassination lit the fuse.'

Consequences: ~20 million dead. Empires COLLAPSED (Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, Russian, German). Treaty of VERSAILLES (1919) — imposed BLAME and REPARATIONS on Germany. 'The peace that bred the NEXT war. The German people were HUMILIATED. Their economy COLLAPSED. And a former soldier named ADOLF HITLER found an audience.'

WWII (1939–1945) — The Deadliest Conflict in Human History

~70-85 million dead. The HOLOCAUST — 6 million Jews systematically murdered. Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 'WWII was not just a "bigger WWI." It was a war of IDEOLOGIES — fascism vs. democracy, racism vs. human equality, imperialism vs. self-determination.'

2. Building Peace — The United Nations (founded 1945)

The UN Charter

• 'To save succeeding generations from the SCOURGE OF WAR.'
• 'To reaffirm faith in fundamental HUMAN RIGHTS.'
• 'To establish conditions under which JUSTICE and respect for international law can be maintained.'

The UN System

Peacekeeping — Successes and Failures

SUCCESSES: Namibia. Sierra Leone. FAILURES: Rwanda (1994 — ~800,000 killed in 100 days. The UN had troops on the ground. They were ordered NOT to intervene). Srebrenica (1995 — ~8,000 Bosnian Muslims massacred. The UN 'safe area' was overrun).

The Veto Problem

'The UNSC can only act when the P5 AGREE — or at least ABSTAIN. During the Cold War, the UNSC was PARALYSED by US-Soviet rivalry. Today, it is PARALYSED by US-Russia-China divisions. Syria. Ukraine. The UN cannot stop a war when a P5 member — or its ally — is the aggressor.'

3. Human Rights — The Post-War Promise

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948)

Adopted in the SHADOW of the Holocaust. Drafting committee chaired by ELEANOR ROOSEVELT. 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.' 30 articles. Civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. 'The UDHR is NOT a treaty — it is a DECLARATION. It is not legally binding. But it has become the MORAL FOUNDATION of international human rights law.'

The Debate — Universal or Western?

Critics argue: 'The UDHR reflects WESTERN values — individualism, secularism, civil/political rights — and is IMPOSED on non-Western cultures with different traditions.' Defenders argue: 'The drafting committee included representatives from China, Lebanon, Chile, and other non-Western nations. The UDHR was a GLOBAL effort — not a Western diktat. And the idea that "human rights are Western" is often used by authoritarian governments to JUSTIFY oppression.'

Enforcement — The International Criminal Court (ICC, 2002)

Prosecutes INDIVIDUALS for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes. 'The ICC represents a REVOLUTION in international law: individuals — not just states — can be held ACCOUNTABLE for atrocities.' BUT: Major powers (US, China, Russia) have NOT joined. The ICC has been CRITICISED for disproportionately prosecuting AFRICAN leaders. 'Is the ICC a tool of justice — or a tool of the powerful?'

4. Contemporary Challenges

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P)

Adopted by the UN (2005). 'When a state MANIFESTLY FAILS to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity — the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY has a RESPONSIBILITY to intervene.' Applied in Libya (2011). NOT applied in Syria. 'R2P remains deeply CONTROVERSIAL. Is it a LICENSE for Western intervention — or a genuine obligation to protect the vulnerable?'

The Future of Global Governance

'The world faces challenges that NO nation can solve alone: climate change. Pandemics. Migration. Terrorism. Economic inequality. Technology (AI, cyberwarfare). The question is not WHETHER we need global governance. The question is: WHAT KIND? Who gets to DECIDE? And how do we ensure it is DEMOCRATIC — not just rule by the powerful?'

Your Summative Assessment — The MUN Simulation

Task: Participate in a MODEL UNITED NATIONS (MUN) simulation. Represent a COUNTRY (not your own). Research: your country's POSITION on the issue. Its ALLIES. Its INTERESTS. Write a POSITION PAPER. Deliver an OPENING SPEECH. Negotiate with other delegates. Draft a RESOLUTION.

'This is the culminating assessment for MYP Individuals & Societies. It requires: RESEARCH. CRITICAL THINKING. PERSUASIVE WRITING. PUBLIC SPEAKING. NEGOTIATION. COMPROMISE. These are the skills of global citizenship — and of the IB Diploma Programme.'

ATL Skills