In recent years, there has been much talk in the media and the academic world about the "rise of China," as if China were a young country. Because the People's Republic of China (PRC) celebrated its sixtieth birthday only last October--and because the PRC was not admitted into the United Nations until 1971 and did not become a member of…

Different generations of Americans understand China quite differently. This, of course, is true of many topics. However, the turbulence of Chinese history and U.S.-China relations in the 60 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 has deepened the gaps in generational thinking about China. Those who came of age in…

This essay is based on the author's talk at the FPRI Wachman Center's History Institute for Teachers on "What Students Need to Know about America's Wars, Part 2: 1920-Present," held May 2-3, 2009. Observing that the Vietnam War was the longest and most contested conflict in American history and that it called into question many…

This curriculum unit is part two of a three-part series. Each of the three parts can be taught independently. The lessons include perspectives from each of the countries under study. This unit introduces students to challenges and opportunities presented by policy options for U.S. and Japanese relations with the Korean Peninsula at the turn of the…

This curriculum unit is part three of a three-part series. Each of the three parts can be taught independently. The lessons include perspectives from each of the countries under study. This unit introduces students to policy options for U.S. and Japanese relations with Vietnam at the turn of the century. By identifying and examining these options…

During the 1980s more than 100,000 refugees poured into the United States from Cambodia. This essay is intended to inform educators and others who work with Cambodian families about recent Cambodian history and traditional Cambodian culture and to create awareness of the social and psychological significance of these factors. The waves of refugees…

This curriculum unit is part one of a three-part series. The unit introduces students to policy options for U.S. and Japanese relations with China at the beginning of the 21st century. By identifying and examining these options, students gain an awareness of U.S., Japanese, and Chinese perspectives on political, economic, and security issues.…

This curriculum unit is the first part of a three-part series; it focuses on the theme of conflict. It introduces students to conflict on personal, group, international, and global levels and to basic conflict resolution/management alternatives. Students learn about six categories of conflict through the analysis of episodes in the history of…