Grading Period Two Importance

In the second grading period I found almost all of the information given to us to be valuable, however, the most valuable would be the discussion of the Rwanda Genocide. I chose this because it proves how Americans stay unaware of things that are going on in other countries. Also, once the UN was able to step in Americans believed that the Genocide was over, but it is not.

I watched the movie that showed Rwandans being slaughtered and I realized that I had never even heard of this before this class. 800,000 people were killed and I never even heard of Rwanda, let alone the Genocide. This just went to show me how much Americans are shielded to the outside world. We stay inside our bubbles and believe that every country is like ours and at peace with citizens, but Rwanda proves this wrong.

Then once it said that the United Nations was finally able to step in because the Genocide had crossed over to the Congo, I thought that this was over. I believed that this Genocide was stopped, but then Mr. Campbell came into class with a newsletter that said it was still continuing. I was in shock; I was again proven how Americans went off in their bubble and said, "Oh the UN stepped in so it's all behind us now." That thinking is wrong.

This class has shown me how to use my resources and find what is happening in the world. How to compare and contrast to find the truth. To question all answers; some lie to gain others. This class has taught me to go outside the bubble that I've lived in for seventeen years.

Should U.S. Stay in the U.N. or Leave?

The U.N. does have a major purpose in the world, but it should be reformed. If the U.N. doesn't reform then the "we [the U.S.] will risk forfeiting our position as moral world leader."

The U.N. definitely needs to be reformed, for example look at the Rwanda Genocide. This could have been stopped but it wasn't cause the U.N. didn't see this as a genocide because it didn't cross boarders. The genocide definition needs to be updated, along with other things. Also, the U.N. forces need more training because in the documentary they mentioned how in Somalia they were very untrained and that created unnecessary danger.

The U.N. does serve a purpose, look at what they did in Somalia, Quite, and Cambodia. They at least were able to try to help stop genocides. In Quite they were successful, they were able to do what they were made for, to stop genocides. In Somalia the U.N. sent peace keepers, but again they were only allowed to use force to protect the peace keepers, this needs to be reformed. They also sent peace keepers to Cambodia.

The U.N. would be great if they could actually do what it was originally designed to do, stop genocides. In order to do that the U.N. needs to be reformed. Also, if they U.N. can be reformed and be able to do what it was originally designed to do then if the U.S. was a part of that they would not be forfeiting anything. They would be gaining everything. They would be able to be a part of a great peace keeping organization that the world would look to and they would still be the moral world leader.