IRAQ'S LATEST STRATEGY: SUICIDE ATTACKS
Critical Analysis
By Doug DuBrin, an English/History teacher and editor/ writer.

Overview:
On Saturday, the Iraqi military resorted to an extreme measure to counter the assault of coalition forces -a suicide attack near the city of Najaf in which four U.S. soldiers were killed (see NewsHour Extra story).

Suicide missions are not unique to the current war in Iraq. During World War II, Japanese kamikaze ("divine wind") fighter pilots would purposely attempt to crash their bomb-loaded planes into American ships. (More information on Kamikaze pilots.)

More recently, Palestinian extremists from organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad have launched suicide attacks against military and civilian targets in Israel and in disputed areas occupied by Israel. These Palestinians consider themselves to be martyrs when they strap explosives to their bodies and detonate them in public places.

In the largest suicide attack ever, on September 11, 2001, al-Qaida operatives hijacked and crashed passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, killing nearly three thousand.

These are all suicide attacks but the techniques, targets and the impact have been radically different.

Time: 15-20 minutes

Materials:

Correlation to National Standards

Procedure:

1. Introduction: Begin by discussing the overview. You may want to highlight the level of desperation that has inspired suicide missions throughout history.

2. Next, have the students carefully read the Online Newshour article either independently or in pairs.

3. Then, have the students work in pairs or small groups to address the following questions: (see below)
   
   
4. Lastly, discuss the answers as a class. Since the subject matter of this activity could be seen as disturbing, you probably should allow time in a subsequent class (or classes) for follow-up discussion.
   
   
   Discussion Questions :
   

• How were the goals of the Kamikaze pilots different from those of the Iraqi suicide bomber?
• What sort of individual do you think is chosen to carry out a suicide mission?
• Why might a person want to be considered for such a mission?
• What impact might attacks like this have on public support for the war?
• Palestinian militants are still fighting Israel; the Japanese lost WWII; are suicide attacks an effective military tactic or an act of desperation?
• Could you imagine a cause that you would be willing to die for?

Extension idea :

1. Assign the students to read the two Online Newshour sements concerning suicide missions -one is from the Palestinian vantage, the other from the Israeli vantage.
   
   
2. Then have them summarize the perspectives from each side, either in essay or outline form.
   
   
3. Have them next list the political aims or goals for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
   
   
4. Lastly, ask the students to analyze how those goals have clashed and have therefore resulted in extraordinary violence and hardship in the region.

National Standards:

National Council of the Social Studies
For detailed explanations, please consult
www.socialstudies.org/standards/teachers/vol1/home.shtml

Thematic Standards

Standard 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
Standard 9: Global Connections

Disciplinary Standards

Standard 1: History
Standard 3: Civics and Government

Author Doug DuBrin taught Social Studies and Literature at the Arizona School for the Arts for 4 years. Before that he taught at the Near North Montessori School and the Monroe Middle School in Rochester, NY. He has a BA from the University of Rochester and a MA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at extra@newshour.org.