Global Concerns Classroom 2016-2017 Reading List discussion

Ishmael Beah opens his memoir with a dialogue between his American high school friends and himself in New York. What is their perspective on war? How does it compare to the perspective that Beah provides in the book? Are there similarities in how they view war?

What role does rap and hip hop play in Beah’s life? On more than one occasion hip hop saves Beah’s life. How? Consider pages 38, 67, and 169.

Throughout the book, Beah discusses the impacts of child soldiering in villages throughout Sierra Leone. What are they? What impacts do you think child soldiering have on the international community? Discuss both the short-term impacts as well as the future consequences.

At the end of his book, the author includes a chronology of events in Sierra Leone. How is this information helpful in understanding the context of the civil war? Did any event particularly surprise you? Did the arrival of Portuguese slave traders or the later colonization by the British contribute to Sierra Leone’s 20th Century problems? Does this history shed any light on the motivations of the army soldiers versus those of the rebels? Do you think that it had any influence on the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)?

On November 20, 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted. The CRC provides that the best interests of children must come first always, in good times and bad, in poverty and prosperity, in war and peace. However, while President Clinton signed the CRC in 1995, he did not submit the treaty to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent to ratification. At present, only the United States and Somalia have not ratified the CRC. Why has the United States not ratified this treaty? How does the United States not ratifying the treaty affect the legitimacy of the treaty?

Ishmael Beah gives credit for rescuing him to relief workers such as Esther in conjunction with organizations such as UNICEF. As a result, Beah has dedicated his life to their cause, studying political science and speaking before a broad variety of groups, ranging from the Council on Foreign Relations to the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. What steps has he inspired you to take to help end the use of child soldiers? How can each of us join in Beah’s cause? Do you believe we have a moral obligation to do so?