IB Global Politics

Explore free resources that align with your IB Global Politics curriculum.

CFR Education offers a range of free resources that can supplement your IB Global Politics curriculum. Browse readings, timelines, videos, assessments, and simulations that align with the core topics, thematic studies, and HL extension.

Core Topics and Thematic Studies
- Understanding Power and Global Politics
- Rights and Justice
- Development and Sustainability
- Peace and Conflict
HL Extension (Global Political Challenges): content for the HL extended inquiries, sorted by topic area

Understanding Power and Global Politics

What Is International Law? Reading	Explore the history of international law, important international agreements and the courts that aim to hold countries accountable, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
Cyber Clash With China (NSC) Simulation
Terrorism and the Media Video	How do terrorists use the media? From Osama bin Laden to the Islamic State, learn how terrorists use internet and media coverage to shape their goals.
How Do Governments Approach Foreign Policy? Video	In this educational video, explore three fundamental questions that shape a country’s relationship with the world through foreign policy.
Tanks, Sanctions, and Separatists: The Various Challenges to Sovereignty Reading	A government’s authority within its borders gets challenged all the time. Here is how.
What Is the Relationship Between Domestic and Foreign Policy? Reading	Explore maps and charts that illustrate how climate change, terrorism, COVID-19, and internet freedom require both international and domestic solutions in an increasingly interconnected world.
What Are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund? Reading	What's the difference between the World Bank and the IMF? Understand two institutions that undergird global development and the international monetary system.
Cyber Clash With China (UNSC) Simulation
How a Single Phrase Defined the War on Terror Reading	What is the 2001 AUMF and what does it have to do with 9/11? From the invasion of Afghanistan, to the Iraq War, and more, learn how the United States justified U.S. counterterrorism policy for over two decades.
What Is Nation-Building? Video	In this free resource on nation-building, learn why developing political, economic, security, and social institutions across borders is a complex business.
The European Union: The World’s Biggest Sovereignty Experiment Reading	Countries fight to protect their sovereignty. So why would they willingly give it up?
What Roles Do Congress and the President Play in U.S. Foreign Policy? Reading	What does the Constitution say about foreign policy? In this free resource, explore how the powers of Congress and the president protect and advance the country’s interests abroad.
What Is the World Trade Organization? Reading	What is the WTO? Learn how the World Trade Organization manages the rules for international trade and why it's failing to address today’s most pressing issues.
Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2017 (NSC) Simulation
Who Counts As a Terrorist? Reading	What are the major types of terrorism? From foreign groups to domestic threats, learn how the U.S. government defines terrorism and its legal consequences.
What Is Armed Force? Reading	In this free resource on military action, learn how countries use violence, or armed force, to influence foreign policy.
What Is Sovereignty? Video	Understand the principle that has underpinned world order for the past four hundred years.
How Does AI Influence Government? Reading	Artificial intelligence can empower authoritarians but also support democracies.
What Is the World Health Organization? Reading	What is the WHO? Learn how the UN agency in charge of international public health responds to crises that threaten global health coordination, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2017 (UNSC) Simulation
The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Reading	What is the NPT and how has the treaty influenced the spread of nuclear weapons?
What Is Trade Policy? Reading	In this free resource on trade policy, explore how countries leverage their economic power to advance their foreign policy interests.
Reimagining Sovereignty in a Global Era Video	When fires in the Amazon affect countries around the world, is there a need to rethink a centuries-old understanding of sovereignty?
Statelessness Around the World Reading	Without a country to call their own, millions of people experience discrimination and persecution.
How Is Conflict Changing? Video	What is conflict? Explore the reasons why tensions, violence, and war break out and what the consequences are for the world in this video.
Humanitarian Intervention in South Sudan in 2014 (NSC) Simulation
What Is Nuclear Proliferation? Video	In this video on nuclear proliferation, learn why countries develop nuclear weapons—and what is being done to prevent the spread of these weapons and the possibility of nuclear war.
How Did the United States Approach the Tiananmen Square Crackdown? Video	In this educational video, learn how idealism and realism shaped U.S. foreign policy following the Chinese government’s massacre at Tiananmen Square in 1989.
What Is Government? Video	From direct and parliamentary democracy to authoritarianism, learn how rulers take power—and who decides.
Seven “Hot Wars” During the Cold War Reading	The United States and the Soviet Union never directly clashed, but the Cold War was far from bloodless.
NATO: The World’s Largest Alliance Timeline	What is NATO? Trace NATO’s history and learn how the organization’s mission has evolved over seventy-five years, from the end of World War II to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Humanitarian Intervention in South Sudan in 2014 (UNSC) Simulation
South Africa: Why Countries Acquire and Abandon Nuclear Bombs Reading	Why did South Africa give up its nuclear weapons? In this historical case study, learn about the only country in the world to have developed and then dismantled its nuclear program.
What Tools Do Foreign Policy-Makers Have at Their Disposal? Video	In this foreign policy video, learn how leaders further their countries’ interests with political, economic, and military tools such as diplomacy, trade, and intelligence.
What Are Different Types of Government? Reading	Learn about different forms of government—including democracy, authoritarian rule, and monarchy—and how their distinctions aren't always so clear.
Economic Sanctions Mini Simulation	How should the United States apply sanctions to influence a crisis abroad? Explore this hypothetical simulation.
Social Media: Revolutionizing Communication Reading	Social media has connected people at lightning speeds and upended long-held monopolies on information. But like past innovations, it has also created major societal challenges.
Drones in Pakistan in 2011 (NSC) Simulation
The Paris Agreement Reading	What is the Paris Agreement? In this free resource, learn what actions countries are taking to address the global threat of climate change.
How Do Countries Select Their Foreign Policy Tools? Video	In this educational video on foreign policy, explore how U.S. relations with Japan have changed over the past century, from Pearl Harbor to a peaceful alliance.
Laws, Norms, and Democratic Backsliding Reading	Are countries less democratic than they used to be? Learn how democratic principles like checks and balances, free elections, and freedom of the press are under threat around the world.
Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon Mini Simulation	Should the United States take action to stop deforestation in the Amazon to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
Radicalization and Right-Wing Extremism Reading	Learn how QAnon, white supremacists, and Silicon Valley have contributed to an evolving domestic terror threat.
How Should the United States Interact With the Taliban? Mini Simulation	The United States has tried to avoid legitimizing the Taliban since it regained power in Afghanistan. But that approach has certain drawbacks. Should the United States change the way it interacts with the Taliban going forward?
What the World’s Terrorist Groups Have in Common Reading	From the KKK to al-Qaeda, learn how strong ideology motivates terrorist groups to commit violence, no matter their goals.
Why Does U.S. Foreign Policy Matter? Video	In this educational video on U.S. foreign policy, learn how the United States has shaped the world with its military and economic might.
Understanding Revolutions Reading	Explore the powerful political movements that can reshape forms of government.
U.S. Foreign Policy: Multilateralism or Unilateralism? Mini Simulation	Should the next U.S. president prioritize a multilateral or unilateral approach to foreign policy? Explore this simulation.
Idealism Versus Realism Reading	What is idealism? What is realism? In this free resource, explore two schools of thought on a country’s foreign policy priorities.
Should the Internet Respect National Borders? Video	The United States supports internet freedom. China, a proponent of cyber sovereignty, disagrees.
What the Kyoto Protocol Can Tell Us About How Treaties Are Made Today Video	In this U.S. foreign policy video, understand the challenges of negotiating treaties and dive into two international climate agreements.
What Is the Liberal World Order? Video	Explore the organizations and agreements that have promoted global peace and prosperity since the end of World War II, as well as the challenges that the liberal world order now faces in this video.
Dispute in the East China Sea in 2016 (UNSC) Simulation
Isolationism Versus Engagement Reading	What is isolationism? What is engagement? In this free resource on foreign policy, explore why some leaders view the outside world as a threat and others view it as an opportunity.
How Self-Determination Shaped the Modern World Reading	Learn how the world’s nearly two hundred countries came to be, and whether the map is set in stone.
What Is the National Security Council? Reading	Learn how the president’s advisors protect U.S. national security and help with foreign policy decision-making and coordination across the executive branch.
What Is the UN Security Council? Reading	In this free resource, learn more about the United Nations’ most powerful body working to maintain international peace and security. Explore the security council’s failures and successes, and why the UN Security Council’s veto power is so controversial.
Dispute in the East China Sea in 2016 (NSC) Simulation
Unilateralism Versus Multilateralism Reading	What is unilateralism? What is multilateralism? In this free resource on foreign policy, explore why leaders address some challenges independently and others as part of a team.
Understanding the Constructive and Destructive Natures of Nationalism Reading	Nationalism can unify diverse societies. But when taken to extremes, it can also fuel violence, division, and global disorder.
How Do Forces Outside Government Influence Policymaking? Reading	Learn how journalism, social media, public opinion, and lobbies are all a part of American democracy and influence U.S. foreign policy.

Rights and Justice

History of U.S. Immigration Policy Video	Explore how the United States has responded to migrants throughout history—from the Chinese Exclusion Act to DACA—and how immigration policy influences the society, economy, and politics of a country.
Human Trafficking in the Global Era Reading	Understand the various forms of human trafficking, including forced labor, forced marriage, and forced organ removal.
The Lasting Effects of Emigration Video	When migrants seek work abroad, what does their home country gain and lose? Explore one example of a country shaped by emigration, the Philippines.
Statelessness Around the World Reading	Without a country to call their own, millions of people experience discrimination and persecution.
Internally Displaced Persons: Migrants Who Do Not Cross a National Border Reading	Who are IDPs and how are they different from refugees? Understand what happens to people who are forced from their homes but remain inside their own country through country case studies.
Marriage Equality Around the World Reading	An increasing number of countries recognize same-sex marriage, but discrimination and persecution persist.
Should the Internet Respect National Borders? Video	The United States supports internet freedom. China, a proponent of cyber sovereignty, disagrees.
Cuban Immigration in 1980 Mini Simulation	How should the United States respond to the massive influx of Cuban migrants? Explore this historical simulation set in 1980.
How Health Care Works Around the World Reading	Experts agree that access to quality health care is the best way to improve global health. But health-care options vary greatly depending on where you are in the world.
Asylum Seekers at the U.S. Southern Border in 2019 (NSC) Simulation
The Rise and Fall of the Responsibility to Protect Timeline	Sovereignty is sacred. But when lives are in danger, does that principle still apply?
Humanitarian Intervention in South Sudan in 2014 (NSC) Simulation
Tanks, Sanctions, and Separatists: The Various Challenges to Sovereignty Reading	A government’s authority within its borders gets challenged all the time. Here is how.
Unrest in Bahrain in 2014 (NSC) Simulation
The European Union: The World’s Biggest Sovereignty Experiment Reading	Countries fight to protect their sovereignty. So why would they willingly give it up?
Unrest in Bahrain in 2014 (UNSC) Simulation
Migration Today Reading	Understand where migrants come from, where they go, and why migration is increasing through maps, charts, and data.
What Is the Liberal World Order? Video	Explore the organizations and agreements that have promoted global peace and prosperity since the end of World War II, as well as the challenges that the liberal world order now faces in this video.
What Is Migration? Video	Why do people migrate? Understand why migration means different things for individuals, countries, and economies in a globalized world.
What Is the UN Security Council? Reading	In this free resource, learn more about the United Nations’ most powerful body working to maintain international peace and security. Explore the security council’s failures and successes, and why the UN Security Council’s veto power is so controversial.
For Migrants, Labels Matter Reading	What is the difference between immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers? Explore how contested definitions of migrants have a profound effect on the rights and protections of people leaving their homes.
What Is International Law? Reading	Explore the history of international law, important international agreements and the courts that aim to hold countries accountable, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Development and Sustainability

What Is Globalization? Video	Explore examples of globalization to understand the benefits and challenges of our increasingly interconnected world in this video.
What Is the World Trade Organization? Reading	What is the WTO? Learn how the World Trade Organization manages the rules for international trade and why it's failing to address today’s most pressing issues.
The Globe-Trotting Journey of a Sneaker Video	Learn the pros and cons of the global supply chain process of making a popular Nike shoe in this video.
The Suez Canal Crisis Video	Explore a historical case study on the Suez Canal to understand how monetary policy can also be used as a tool of foreign policy.
Two Hundred Years of Global Communications Timeline	From the printing press to Instagram, technological advances shape how people communicate.
What Is Economic Inequality? Reading	Explore how severe inequalities and disparities in wealth and income can harm individuals, countries, and the global economy, and how some governments implement policies to reduce inequality.
Trade as Foreign Policy Video	When local concerns drive national trade policies, there are global consequences.
What Is a Central Bank and What Does It Do for You? Reading	What is the Federal Reserve? Learn how central banks conduct monetary policy by influencing the rate of inflation, money supply, and interest rates.
Big in China: The Global Market for Hollywood Movies Reading	Hollywood’s relationship with the Chinese market—and its gatekeepers, Chinese government censors—is changing the way movies are made and promoted.
Two Koreas, Two Development Policies Reading	How did North Korea and South Korea turn out so differently? Learn about the history of Korea after World War II and how economic policies shaped the region.
What Happened When China Joined the WTO? Reading	The United States thought it was directing the show when China acceded to the World Trade Organization. Instead, China wrote its own script.
Global Development Explained Video	How do governments help people everywhere become healthier and wealthier? Many countries have made great strides in global development progress but challenges remain.
Trains, Planes, and Shipping Containers Reading	Three innovations shaped how people and goods move around the world today.
Global Population Growth Is Slowing Down Reading	Is the global population declining? Learn how changes in birth, death, and migration rates affect society, economics, and politics around the world
What Gets in the Way of Free Trade? Reading	Tariffs, quotas, and other barriers all get in the way of free trade. Learn why some countries impose them anyway.
The Marshall Plan Video	Understand how the Marshall Plan, one of the first large foreign aid programs, helped Europe rebuild after World War II, but also served the foreign policy interests of the United States.
Six Essential International Organizations You Need to Know Reading	Learn about the most prominent international organizations tackling the world’s biggest issues in this free resource.
Why Is The Free Flow of Oil Important? Reading	Why does the price of oil change so much? Learn how crude oil affects the global economy and the potential for economic development, and how fluctuating prices can contribute to crises.
What a Trade Deficit Means Reading	What is a trade deficit? And, perhaps more important, what is it not?
Understanding the Last Fifty Years of Global Development Reading	Has life gotten better for people around the world? Learn how improvements in health, education, and income are measured and explore three countries' opportunities and challenges with development.
What Is Global Health? Video	We have made advances in global health, but we face challenges from new disease trends—and need funding to treat them.
A Global Semiconductor Shortage Reading	Expensive cars? Phone order delays? Learn how today’s globalized supply chain can affect our daily lives by exploring the global semiconductor shortage.
How Trade Rules Are Written Reading	The WTO system is the foundation of modern global trade. But as trade becomes more connected, with new challenges constantly emerging, trade agreements are adapting in order to keep up.
Technology and Development Video	As Great Britain’s Industrial Revolution and India’s Green Revolution have shown, technological innovation can drive extraordinary development. Explore how digital advancements are further driving progress today.
Global Health Then and Now Reading	The world has become healthier over the past few centuries, but new challenges are on the horizon.
Solar Geoengineering Mini Simulation	Should the United States consider the use of solar geoengineering to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
Foreign Investment 101 Reading	What is foreign investment, and what does it have to do with trade? An economics expert explains.
The Sustainable Development Goals Reading	Learn about the formation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and review the opportunities and challenges for meeting them.
The Rising Tide of Diabetes in Mexico Video	As noncommunicable diseases become more prevalent, Mexico is coming up with innovative ideas to fight the problem.
Economic Statecraft: Foreign Assistance Mini Simulation	How should the United States employ foreign aid to help a country in crisis? Explore this hypothetical simulation.
What Is Monetary Policy? Video	From inflation to interest rates, understand the basics of monetary policy, currencies, and the flow of money in the global economy with this introductory video.
A Brief History of U.S. Foreign Aid Reading	Where and why the United States gives foreign aid has changed over time.
Noncommunicable Diseases and How They Are Measured Reading	How to track and understand the world’s leading causes of death.
Global Climate Change Policy (NSC) Simulation
Understanding Currencies and Exchange Rates Reading	Supply and demand influence how much a currency is worth. Learn how exchange rates affect producers and consumers.
How Globalization Affects What’s for Brunch Video	Globalization’s effects can appear where you least expect them—including on your plate.
What Is the UN Security Council? Reading	In this free resource, learn more about the United Nations’ most powerful body working to maintain international peace and security. Explore the security council’s failures and successes, and why the UN Security Council’s veto power is so controversial.
How Health Care Works Around the World Reading	Experts agree that access to quality health care is the best way to improve global health. But health-care options vary greatly depending on where you are in the world.
Global Climate Change Policy (UNSC) Simulation
The Global Consequences of Financial Contagion Reading	What caused the Great Recession of 2008? Learn why a financial crisis can spread around the world with our modern globalized economy.
It Takes a Village to Make Your Medicine Reading	Follow the global supply chain across borders and into your pill bottle.
What Are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund? Reading	What's the difference between the World Bank and the IMF? Understand two institutions that undergird global development and the international monetary system.
What Is Trade? Video	The modern era of global trade began just after World War II.
The Global Role of the U.S. Dollar Video	Why is the U.S. dollar the world's most popular currency and how does it help the U.S. economy? Watch this video on the history of U.S. currency.

Peace and Conflict

What Is Deterrence? Reading	In this free resource, explore examples of deterrence from the Cold War to present day to learn how countries dissuade bad behavior with the threat of significant punishment.
The History of Terrorism and U.S. Counterterrorism Since 1945 Timeline	From the creation of the CIA to the “War on Terror,” learn about the evolution of U.S. counterterrorism policies in this terrorism timeline.
Armed Force Mini Simulation	Should the United States use armed force to address a conflict in another country? Explore this hypothetical simulation.
The Civilian Consequences of Conflict Reading	From World War II to Syria’s civil war, understand the deadly consequences of war and what that means about the changing nature of conflict.
Dispute in the East China Sea in 2016 (UNSC) Simulation
What Is Arms Control? Reading	In this free resource on arms control agreements, learn how countries try to regulate the world’s most powerful weapons through foreign policy.
Tools of Nonproliferation Video	How do world leaders try to prevent nuclear war? From diplomacy to military force, learn what policy options are most effective in this video.
Arms Control Mini Simulation	Should the United States use arms control to reduce the threat of a new type of weapon? Explore this hypothetical simulation.
How Is Conflict Changing? Video	What is conflict? Explore the reasons why tensions, violence, and war break out and what the consequences are for the world in this video.
Dispute in the East China Sea in 2016 (NSC) Simulation
What Is Peacekeeping? Reading	In this free resource on the successes and failures of peacekeeping, learn about the UN missions tasked with transitioning countries out of war.
Tools of Counterterrorism Video	What is counterterrorism? Learn how governments try to prevent terrorist attacks in this video on terrorism.
Deterrence Mini Simulation	How should the United States use deterrence to block threats against itself and its allies? Explore this hypothetical simulation.
What Is Interstate Conflict? Reading	Bombs and bullets are not always required for countries to come into conflict. From Russia’s war in Ukraine to a U.S. trade war with China, explore the different ways countries come into tension.
North Korean Nuclear Threat (UNSC) Simulation
What Is Armed Force? Reading	In this free resource on military action, learn how countries use violence, or armed force, to influence foreign policy.
The History of Nuclear Proliferation Timeline	What are the most significant attempts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and have they succeeded? Explore this timeline, from the first atomic bomb to the recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
Peacekeeping Mini Simulation	Should the United States support peacekeeping in a country filled with ethnic conflict? Explore this hypothetical simulation.
Understanding Intrastate Conflict Reading	From civil war to terrorist violence, explore the types, causes, and consequences of conflicts within countries that are increasingly threatening world order.
North Korean Nuclear Threat (NSC) Simulation
What Is Trade Policy? Reading	In this free resource on trade policy, explore how countries leverage their economic power to advance their foreign policy interests.
The Growing Threat of Cyberattacks Video	The Stuxnet worm is only the beginning.
Defending Ukraine Mini Simulation	How should the United States and its NATO allies respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Explore this simulation.
Understanding Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ Reading	More than twenty years after the Good Friday Agreement was signed, challenges remain for Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland long after the conflict ended.
NATO Enlargement in 1994 (NSC) Simulation
What Is Diplomacy? Reading	In this free resource on diplomacy, understand how countries advocate for their national interests through foreign policy.
How Self-Determination Shaped the Modern World Reading	Learn how the world’s nearly two hundred countries came to be, and whether the map is set in stone.
Defining an Acceptable Outcome in Russia’s War in Ukraine Mini Simulation	How should Ukraine define success as it seeks to repel Russian forces? Explore this simulation.
NATO: The World’s Largest Alliance Timeline	What is NATO? Trace NATO’s history and learn how the organization’s mission has evolved over seventy-five years, from the end of World War II to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Humanitarian Intervention in South Sudan in 2014 (NSC) Simulation
What Tools Do Foreign Policy-Makers Have at Their Disposal? Video	In this foreign policy video, learn how leaders further their countries’ interests with political, economic, and military tools such as diplomacy, trade, and intelligence.
Understanding the Constructive and Destructive Natures of Nationalism Reading	Nationalism can unify diverse societies. But when taken to extremes, it can also fuel violence, division, and global disorder.
Intelligence: Covert Action Mini Simulation	How should the United States use secret measures to address a national security threat? Explore this hypothetical simulation.
What Are Economic Sanctions? Reading	In this free resource on sanctions, learn how countries use punitive economic measures to advance their foreign policy priorities.
Humanitarian Intervention in South Sudan in 2014 (UNSC) Simulation
How Do Countries Select Their Foreign Policy Tools? Video	In this educational video on foreign policy, explore how U.S. relations with Japan have changed over the past century, from Pearl Harbor to a peaceful alliance.
Tanks, Sanctions, and Separatists: The Various Challenges to Sovereignty Reading	A government’s authority within its borders gets challenged all the time. Here is how.
Russia and NATO in the Baltics in 2016 (NSC) Simulation
What Is Nation-Building? Video	In this free resource on nation-building, learn why developing political, economic, security, and social institutions across borders is a complex business.
Drones in Pakistan in 2011 (NSC) Simulation
How Does AI Influence Conflict? Reading	How is the military using AI? Killer robots have long been a fear and fascination of humankind. Explore how weapons that can locate, target, and kill without human involvement shape today’s conflicts and hold the potential to re-shape future conflicts.
The European Union: The World’s Biggest Sovereignty Experiment Reading	Countries fight to protect their sovereignty. So why would they willingly give it up?
Sovereignty and Neutrality in 1807 Mini Simulation	Should the United States remain neutral during the war between France and England? Explore this simulation set in 1807.
What Is Economic Statecraft? Reading	Learn why China lends billions of dollars abroad each year through its Belt and Road Initiative and the implications of that free resource for recipient countries.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Timeline Timeline	Explore the history and important events behind the long-standing Middle East conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians from 1947 to today.
What Is the UN Security Council? Reading	In this free resource, learn more about the United Nations’ most powerful body working to maintain international peace and security. Explore the security council’s failures and successes, and why the UN Security Council’s veto power is so controversial.
Strategic Ambiguity Toward Taiwan Mini Simulation	Should the United States maintain its longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan? Explore this simulation.
What Is Intelligence? Reading	From Cold War double agents to Chinese spy balloons, explore how lying and spying inform policymaking in this resource on intelligence.
What Is Terrorism? Video	Learn how terrorists have sought to achieve their goals all over the world with this video on terrorism.
How Do Humanitarian Corridors, Cease-Fires, and Pauses Address Violence in Conflict? Reading	When deadly conflict breaks out, what are different ways to respond to a humanitarian crisis, support life-saving relief, and lessen the loss of civilian lives?
What Is International Law? Reading	Explore the history of international law, important international agreements and the courts that aim to hold countries accountable, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
U.S. Arctic Policy Mini Simulation	Should the United States launch a new Arctic policy in response to climate change and investments from countries like China and Russia in the region? Explore this simulation.

HL Extension: Borders

Asylum Seekers at the U.S. Southern Border in 2019 (NSC)

Simulation

HL Extension: Environment

Who Is Responsible for Climate Change? Video	Why do developed and developing countries disagree about who is responsible for climate change? Explore the history of industrialization and its impacts on climate in this video.
How Renewables Can Boost a Country's Energy Security Video	Climate change poses energy security challenges, but building more renewable sources and taking other steps can help strengthen supply and lower risks.
The Inflation Reduction Act Reading	What is the IRA? In this free resource, learn what the United States' largest-ever climate change legislation does.
How to Lower Energy-Sector Emissions Reading	Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy can help mitigate climate change.
Who Releases the Most Greenhouse Gases? Reading	Learn how the world measures greenhouse gas emissions and how different approaches imply different levels of responsibility.
How the Paris Agreement Helps Stop Climate Change Video	The Paris Agreement offers the world a pathway for addressing climate change, but challenges persist.
Solar Geoengineering Mini Simulation	Should the United States consider the use of solar geoengineering to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
How to Lower Transportation-Sector Emissions Reading	The ways we move around the world are making it hotter. Electric vehicles and other innovations offer climate change solutions.
Why Scientists Are Watching Greenland Reading	In this free climate change resource, learn why melting ice in Greenland is causing global sea level rise.
How Climate Change is a Collective Action Problem Video	The world can work together in the fight against climate change, but there are challenges to international cooperation.
Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon Mini Simulation	Should the United States take action to stop deforestation in the Amazon to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
How to Lower Industry-Sector Emissions Reading	Industrial emissions pose big challenges for the climate. Innovative industrial solutions can make a difference.
The Paris Agreement Reading	What is the Paris Agreement? In this free resource, learn what actions countries are taking to address the global threat of climate change.
What Is Climate Finance? Reading	Learn how the public and private sectors can collaborate to fund climate solutions.
U.S. Arctic Policy Mini Simulation	Should the United States launch a new Arctic policy in response to climate change and investments from countries like China and Russia in the region? Explore this simulation.
What Are Market-Based Solutions for Mitigating Climate Change? Reading	Learn how policymakers can design incentives to motivate climate action.
The Greenhouse Effect Reading	How do greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming? Learn why the world is getting warmer in this free climate change resource.
How Climate Change Affects Our Health Reading	A warmer world threatens more extreme weather and infectious disease, but policymakers can counter climate change’s damages to global health.
Global Climate Change Policy (NSC) Simulation
How Climate Change Can Get Even Worse Reading	Climate change can amplify itself through feedback loops. It can also trigger catastrophic “tipping points.”
Sources of Energy: A Comparison Reading	Learn how turning toward cleaner energy sources means factoring in economic and energy needs alongside environmental ones.
How Regulations Help Fight Climate Change Reading	Standards and regulations can help countries achieve climate goals, but they pose some drawbacks and challenges.
Global Climate Change Policy (UNSC) Simulation
How Humans Cause Climate Change Reading	Every aspect of modern life carries hidden environmental costs. Recognizing the human-driven causes of climate change can help build a more sustainable future.
The Sustainable Development Goals Reading	Learn about the formation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and review the opportunities and challenges for meeting them.
How to Make the Green Transition Just and Equitable Reading	Learn how efforts to slow emissions raise concerns over inequity and justice, and what we can do to ensure a more equitable and greener future.
What Is a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism? Reading	Learn how governments can prevent international carbon leakage from their climate mitigation policies.
Climate Change Threatens to Displace Many People Reading	Extreme weather and climate change effects could drive millions of people to migrate. Government leaders can take steps to address those flows of people and prepare the communities at their destinations.
Climate Change Inequality Reading	In this free resource, explore how climate change disproportionately affects certain communities and could drastically increase global inequality.
How Climate Change Worsens Inequality Reading	Climate Change is bad for everyone, but it’s worse for some.
How Are International Agreements Helping Fight Global Warming? Reading	Explore the challenges facing international cooperation and the major treaties where the world has agreed to work together.
How Climate Change Threatens National Security Reading	The effects of global warming are creating various security threats. Governments can take certain measures to adapt to those increasing risks.
What Is Water Scarcity? Reading	Is there a global water crisis? In this free resource, learn how climate change is causing water scarcity to worsen worldwide.
How Electrification Can Reduce Emissions Reading	Electrifying the economy may play a crucial role in the fight against climate change.
What Is Geoengineering? Reading	Learn more about the promises and perils of artificially manipulating the environment to combat climate change.
Climate Change Adaptations Reading	Explore how eleven countries are adapting to the effects of climate change in this free resource.
How to Address the Economic Costs of Climate Change Reading	Climate change–related weather events will destroy bridges, roads, homes, and even power plants—unless those structures become more resilient.
How Do Governments Combat Climate Change? Reading	In this free resource, explore seven ways countries are responding to a changing environment, from cap and trade policies to clean energy standards.
Why Electric Grids Need to Be More Resilient Reading	Severe weather is causing costly disruptions. To protect the energy grid, countries need a smarter plan.
How to Lower Agriculture and Land-Use Emissions Reading	Agriculture is warming the planet. Changing how we farm and manage land can decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
What Is Climate Change? Video	In this educational video, learn why the climate is changing, how it affects us, and what we can do about it.
Protecting Global Food and Water Supplies in a Warming World Reading	Discover how climate change is diminishing global food and water security, and how the world can adapt to those vital resource challenges.
How Can AI Combat Climate Change? Reading	In this free climate change resource, learn how AI is helping countries reduce carbon emissions, but some innovations could ultimately contribute to a warming planet.
Why Energy Storage is Essential for a Green Transition Reading	Learn how energy storage can provide reliable renewable energy.
How to Lower Buildings-Sector Emissions Reading	The buildings we live in cause emissions. Changing our edifices can set up a more sustainable future.

HL Extension: Health

Preparing for and Managing the Next Pandemic

Mini Simulation

What should the United States do to secure global health preparedness before the next pandemic? Explore this simulation.

HL Extension: Poverty

Solar Geoengineering Mini Simulation	Should the United States consider the use of solar geoengineering to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
Stopping Deforestation in the Amazon Mini Simulation	Should the United States take action to stop deforestation in the Amazon to combat climate change? Explore this simulation.
Global Climate Change Policy (NSC) Simulation
Global Climate Change Policy (UNSC) Simulation

HL Extension: Security

Russia and NATO in the Baltics in 2016 (NSC) Simulation
Strategic Ambiguity Toward Taiwan Mini Simulation	Should the United States maintain its longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan? Explore this simulation.
North Korean Nuclear Threat (UNSC) Simulation
North Korean Nuclear Threat (NSC) Simulation
NATO Enlargement in 1994 (NSC) Simulation