U.S. Textbooks Failing on the United Nations

Background on the Report

Textbooks and the United Nations: The International System and What American Students Learn About It was commissioned by the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA). It concludes that information about the U.N. is almost nonexistent in some U.S. history and government textbooks and, where present, is often unclear and superficial. The report, which reviewed the 17 most commonly used U.S. history and government textbooks in use in classrooms across the country, includes several recommendations. Liberal and conservative, nationalist and globalist perspectives were taken into account. The report criticizes the shallow nature of the treatment of the United Nations in textbooks. This misinformation in the 17 most widely used high school and middle school history and government textbooks helps explain a 1999 survey, which found that 60 percent of Americans view the United Nations favorably, but could only name peacekeeping as a U.N. activity. "We hope that this report will help inform publishers, editors, and classroom educators of the great need for better education in the United States on the U.N. in particular, and on the growing need for international cooperation in general," noted Ambassador William H. Luers, President and CEO of the United Nations Association of the United States.

Findings and Recommendations

Textbooks and the United Nations: The International System and What American Students Learn About It contains three major areas of findings and recommendations:

1. Textbook content on the United Nations is often inappropriate for the age of the target audience. Content in the U.N. is frequently too complex and abstract for the textbook’s intended grade level. Actual case studies and historic examples are rarely used to illustrate the international system; instead the textbooks are rich with arcane theories of globalization, international law, and human rights.

2. Proposed solutions for global conflict are often overly optimistic. The textbook content on the U.N. creates unrealistic expectations of what the U.N. can accomplish. Textbooks should present the truth about that the U.N. can and can not do. For example, they should explain the limits of global cooperation.

3. Lessons often ignore the difficulties within the United Nations structure and mandate. Many textbooks avoid addressing the inevitable tensions that arise from differing national self-interests among the member states. It is important to include information about terrorism, nation building, and security as complex global issues, which are not likely to diminish soon. In these areas, as well as with peacekeeping, the United Nations has a unique, and at times, controversial mandate.