I think that part of the importance of youth studying world history today is so that history won't repeat itself. Look at any historical tragedy and you can say "if only things had been done differently." If we look at the genocide in Rwanda for example, at least 500,000 Tutsis and thousands of moderate Hutus died in the genocide. Some estimates put the death toll between 800,000 and 1,000,000. The UN was severely criticized because of its inaction in the prevention of this genocide as well as many powerful countries that stood aside while it was happening, including the United States! Think of how many lives could have been saved if there had been intervention from the outside. I would say that most events in history involving war and/or genocide, or where lives were lost in general, could have been prevented with proper involvement.