Is Nuclear Disarmament Possible?

"Peace through Disarmament" is a major focus for the United Nations. October provides several themes that support this significant global issue: United Nations Week, October 20-24, and Disarmament Week, October 24-30.

This excerpt from the Department for Disarmament Affairs' vision statement sums up this avenue of the UN's work: "We acknowledge that disarmament alone will not produce world peace. Yet we also maintain that the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, illicit arms trafficking, and burgeoning weapons stockpiles would advance both peace and development goals. It would accomplish this by reducing the effects of wars, eliminating some key incentives to new conflicts, and liberating resources to improve the lives of all the peoples of the United Nations and the natural environment in which they live."

The UN has made some progress towards disarmament, with treaties and conventions that create guidelines and international laws about weapons production and exportation to other countries. But the UN can only do what nations allow it to do, and unfortunately, the profits many nations make from exporting weapons has slowed progress in disarmament over the years.

Progress has been made, but there are still more than 30,000-50,000 nuclear warheads
-- enough to destroy the entire planet many times over. In addition, after the end of the Cold War in which people feared the superpowers could destroy each other, new fears about the use of these weapons by terrorists or rogue nations has, in some minds, has given us even more reason to fear these weapons.

Many countries, which our existing foreign policy classifies as being part of the "axis of evil," are actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons and other "weapons of mass destruction." What can the U.S., our allies, and the UN do to stop this proliferation?

Assign students to the Leading Issue "Nuclear Weapons" or "Weapons of Mass Destruction." Student should be assigned or choose a pro or con position on the issue of their choice. Students should cite at least three resources to support their position in a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least two minutes.

Pathfinder: Click the Pro vs. Con > More Issues link > Assigned Issue >
My Analysis tab.

The SIRS Leading Issues five-step critical-thinking process combined with editor-selected resources provides a complete lesson plan. This saves valuable time for teachers and students, and ensures that each student knows what to do while integrating essential critical-thinking skills.

Leading Issues also provides four unique models for reports and presentation that support the unique five-step process for each issue. The links to these models are part of step five, thereby providing a complete inquiry-based learning solution for teachers and students.

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