Crosscultural Dialogues feature a series of exchanges between high school and college students from different countries (although adults may conduct dialogues as well). Connected via the Internet, young men and women talk about international and local issues facing people in different countries. The exchange is facilitated by civic culture and social science educators who identify discussion topics, help students formulate their positions, and teach them to look critically at the pressing issues of the day. One should bear in mind that, in many countries, logging on the Internet is not easy. Ideological constraints, time zone differences, and various logistical problems complicate the task. Still, opportunities in this area are bound to increase. CDC is looking to expand its web site capabilities and create a global classroom environment that would allow students and adults to engage in crosscultural dialogues. If you or your learning institution would like to join the crosscultural dialogues, please contact CDC director and John Murtagh, program coordinator overseeing crosscultural dialogues.

UNLV students worked out a consensus position, with the dissenting voices duly noted, after which the class opinions were posted on the web board. The Russian students came up with a reply. Both sides then compared and contrasted their positions, with individuals placing their opinions directly on the web. The Dialogue on Terrorism is posted on the web site of the European University at St. Petersburg and the UNLV WebCT server.

• Iraq, United States, and the United Nations is the topic of a crosscultural dialogue planned for the Fall of 2003. This exchange will link U.S. students with their coutnerparts in Germany and Russia. Participants will join issues on the following questions:

  1. What are the conditions under which the United Nations authorizes one country to attack another?
  2. Could you give examples when such an attack was consistent with the U.N. regulations and when it was not?
  3. Did the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council always follow international laws when they send their troops to other countries?
  4. Do you think five members of the U.N. Security Council with the veto power would have ever agreed to start a military operation against Iraq?
  5. What were the reasons the U.S. gave for invading Iraq, do any of these reasons have merit, was the U.S. justified to take military actions?
  6. Should the U.S. have secured the NATO approval before going to war in Iraq, can the rift between NATO members be healed?
  7. Do you think that in the long run, the Iraqi people will be better off with Saddam Hussein removed from power?
  8. Some people say that the U.S., the only superpower left in the world, is a modern-day empire -- do you agree?
  9. If the U.S. can start war without the U.N. approval, do other countries have the right to do the same?
  10. Do you envision a situation when the U.S. withdraws from the United Nations and conducts its foreign policy without regard for international laws?
      
      
• The Ethics of Nuclear War and Nuclear Waste Disposal is the subject of an exchange that will link students in Las Vegas with the residents of Hiroshima, Japan. This dialogue is planned for Spring of 2003.
  
  
• Globalization and the Iimage of America Abroad is another dialogue topic under consideration, and it may link students in Las Vegas and St. Petersburg, Russia.