“A Bitter Struggle in a Land of Strife,”
The New York Times
A good introductory article for the case study. It presents new terms, concepts, and a brief overview of the history of Serbian nationalism through 1999. Bear in mind that this article was written before the war in Kosovo was over (Feb. 12, 1999 ), so the discussion of the peace conference at the end of the article is incongruent with the realities of the massacres of non-Serbs and of the NATO air strikes that followed.
Kosovo: A Bitter Struggle in a Land of Strife
A rich resource of articles, editorial pieces, photos, and maps from The New York Time’s coverage of Kosovo in early 1999.
UN: International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
A very complete site documenting the proceedings and judgements of the ICTY. While some of the language in these documents may be difficult (see the following entries), the inclusion of one of the indictments as a primary document in the resource packet will challenge and enhance students thinking about these issues.
UN: ICTY — General Information
An excellent source of background information including sections on the origin, location, objectives, jurisdiction, and structure of the court. The “chambers” section also gives the home country of all judges involved in the international criminal tribunal, showing how internationally representative the court is.
United Nations: ICTY — The Trial of Slobodan Miloseviç
Use the “Milosevic case” scroll-down menu at the top of the page and select the “Case Fact Sheet/ Case Information Sheet”. This document provides a brief overview of the ICTY’s case against Miloseviç and includes the factual allegations and charges brought against him.
General Background Resources:
Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC)
This site is the primary NGO provider of online information about efforts to establish a permanent, universally recognized International Criminal Court.
Teachers will need the following to prepare and implement this lesson: Internet access; a world map in the classroom; an understanding of the Academic Controversy process; copies of Student Handouts. If students do not have Internet access in the classroom, teachers will need to photocopy and prepare Resource Packets for students using materials from the Resources above. Teachers should select materials that are most appropriate for their students’ reading level, and the packets should include a variety of different resources – for example, articles and essays, maps, graphs and other visuals, and primary documents. For the Resource Packets, teachers will want to include a number of selections from the “Case-Specific,” and “General Background” sections of the Resources.
Students will need the following to complete this lesson: Resource Packets provided by their teachers; paper and pens; an understanding of the Academic Controversy process; copies of Student Handouts. Internet access in the classroom is a helpful resource, and if it’s available, the teacher can assign more investigative research tasks.