EUROPE’S LAST RESORT
Understanding the European Union’s Position on the Use of Force in Iraq

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  Civics, Current Events, Global History, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"European Union Says Iraq Must Disarm Quickly and Fully, By RICHARD BERNSTEIN", February 19, 2003

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students learn about the statement issued by the European Union with regards to the use of military force in Iraq, and discuss it and related issues in a “fishbowl” discussion. Each student then writes a position paper supporting the position of one of the countries mentioned in the article or that of an independent person or organization.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:
1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

1. Consider who has the ultimate authority to authorize the use of military force against Iraq.
2. Learn about the statement recently issued by the European Union regarding the use of military force in Iraq by reading and discussing “European Union Says Iraq Must Disarm Quickly and Fully.”
3. Respond, in a fishbowl article, to several critical thinking questions arising from the article.
4. Support the position on this matter of one of the countries mentioned in the article, an independent person or an organization in a position paper.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

• student journals
• pens/pencils
• paper
• classroom blackboard
• copies of the article “European Union Says Iraq Must Disarm Quickly and Fully” (one per student)
• resource materials about the views of different countries, individuals and organizations on potential military action in Iraq (computers with Internet access, current periodicals)

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Students respond to the following prompt in their journals (written on the board prior to class): “Who should decide whether the United Nations will take military action against Iraq? Explain why you chose the person, people, nation or nations that you did.” After a few minutes, discuss students’ choices as a class.
2. As a class, read and discuss the article “European Union Says Iraq Must Disarm Quickly and Fully,” focusing on the following questions:
   1. What was the primary message of the statement issued by the 15 members of the European Union on February 17, 2003?
   2. What is the ultimate objective of the European Union with regards to Iraq?
   3. How does the European Union hope to achieve this objective?
   4. Why was the phrase “time is running out” not included in the statement?
   5. What is the widely-viewed meaning of the phrase “serious consequences” as it applies to the statement?
   6. Why have some officials expressed concern about the future of the NATO alliance?
   7. How do many British citizens feel about Prime Minister Tony Blair’s support for the Bush administration’s war plans?
   8. According to the article, which European countries oppose the Bush administration’s plans for war, and which countries support these plans?
   9. According to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain, why is Iraqi compliance a more important issue than additional time for the inspectors?
   10. What is the official position of the 10 countries expected to join the European Union next year?
3. Explain to the class that they will be participating in a “fishbowl” discussion on the divided world view about how to handle the building tension in Iraq. First, ask students to number off one to five, and then keep a list on the board of all “1’s,” “2’s,” “3’s,” “4’s,” and “5’s.” Ask all “1’s” to sit facing one another in the middle of a circle created by the rest of the students. The students in the center are the only ones allowed to speak. If a student from the outer circle wants to add to the discussion, he or she moves to the middle of the circle, taps a participant to indicate that he or she should resume a place in the outer circle, and takes that student’s place as the new person in the discussion. After discussing the first question, switch the students in the center to all “2’s,” and allow the same fishbowl procedure to occur. Be sure to switch discussion questions enough times so that all students have the opportunity to be in the center of the discussion at least once.
   Some suggested questions for the fishbowl discussion include:
   • Should the United States be allowed to pursue a military solution to this problem without the support of the other members of the United Nations? Why or why not?
   • Is unanimous support among the nations in the Security Council essential to moving forward with a plan for military force against Iraq? Why or why not?
   • What role do the United Nations inspection teams still have in the resolution of this conflict?
   • Do you believe the phrase “time is running out” should have been included in the statement issued by the European Union? Why or why not?
   • Do you believe that “full and effective disarmament” of Iraq can be achieved peacefully, as the European Union hopes? Why or why not?
   • The statement issued by the European Union asserts that “war is not inevitable.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement, and why?
   • Has adequate time been given to Iraq to comply with United Nation resolutions? If not, how much more time should be provided?
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Each student should write a brief position paper supporting the position of one of the countries mentioned in the article: the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, etc. Using as current reference materials as possible, students should research the positions of the nations they select and use quotations and details from their research to support their papers. If students do not agree with the positions of any of the nations, they may write a paper in support of an independent person or organization, such as Noam Chomsky or Moveon.org; however, they must still support their positions with research. Papers should be shared in a future class.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Why do you think the 10 small nations that will become members of the European Union next year have signed a petition in support of the United States position on Iraq?
• Some people have suggested that a preferable course of action to war would be to support the Iraqi people in their own efforts to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Do you agree with this suggestion? Why or why not?

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal entries, participation in class and group discussions, and thoughtful individual position papers supported with research.

VOCABULARY:
disarmament, summit, regime, forefront, defy, mandate, verify, acute, alliance, allay, resolve, flout, compelling, rifts, diplomatic, material breach, concession, veto, compliance, satellites

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

1. Read the full text of the statement issued by the European Union, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/18/international/europe/18ETEX.html. Rewrite the statement in language that would be easy for younger children to understand. Alternately, translate the statement into rap, rhyme or song.
2. Develop a plan for a course of action for the situation in Iraq other than the use of military force. Write a statement to the world that explains and defends your plan.
3. Write a letter to the leader of any of the countries mentioned in the article with whom you disagree. Persuade this leader to think about the situation in a different way. Support your ideas with facts and examples.
4. Create a poster that explains what the United Nations Security Council is, which nations are members and how the Council makes decisions.
5. Create an illustrated timeline of NATO, from its inception to the present. Include major actions the organization has taken, as well as the dates that new nations became members.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
American History- Create a newspaper scrapbook documenting the anti-war demonstrations that have taken place recently in cities around the United States.

Civics- Chart the chain of command within the United States military. Include information about the reserves and how they are called into action.

Economics- Write an entry for an economics textbook that describes the economic structure of the European Union. Include information about what this union is, its history and how it functions.

Fine Arts- Analyze political cartoons that depict the current situation in Iraq. Where do the cartoonists stand on the relevant issues? What are they suggesting in the cartoons? How are the parties involved depicted? Draw your own political cartoon related to the current situation in Iraq.

Media Studies- Create a video documentary about anti-war protests throughout history. Use appropriate anti-war songs as background music.

Copyright 2003
The New York Times Company