The Status in Iraq

Teacher Guide Introduction:
The United States has been engaged in a war in Iraq since March, 2003. Much has happened since then when the call to war was described as necessary to protect the nation from weapons of mass destruction. As the war progressed the emphasis shifted to nation building and instituting a democratic government in Iraq. Even though some are encouraged by the robust participation in the January 2005 elections in Iraq and consider the turnout to be an encouraging sign that coalition troops may soon be able to leave Iraq, the pace of progress has caused others to question the validity of the war and for still others, a call for a U.S. troop withdrawal.

This series of four lesson activities helps students examine all these issues. They can be completed as a unit or presented individually.

Beginning with a look back at the events that led to war, students practice historical analysis by examining previous Washington Week program segments. They will gain an understanding of the Bush Administration's efforts to garner domestic and international support for the war and why it made the decision to go to war with the support of a patchwork coalition of nations and not the broad backing of influential partners like NATO or the U.N.

The second lesson has students identify key elements of a democracy and how these elements are applied to Iraq's democratic development.

In the third lesson, students examine the nature of the ethnic divisions in Iraq and the crucial and contentious elements in the development of the Iraqi constitution.

And in the fourth activity students research the nature of the insurgency and analyze the unique relationship it and the development of a stable, democratic Iraqi government have on the prospect of U.S. troops coming home.

Grade Level/Subject Areas:
middle and high school; civics, history, behavioral studies, international studies

Objectives:
The student will:
1. conduct research to gain an understanding of how and why the U.S. went to war with Iraq.
2. review and evaluate the analysis of reporters describing the events that led to war.
3. identify and understand fundamental elements that make up a democracy and explore how they relate to forming a democracy in Iraq.
4. analyze the process of forming a democracy in Iraq and the evaluate effectiveness of the steps being taken.
5. examine the complexity of the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq and how this complexity relates to the development of an Iraqi constitution.
6. examine and analyze the nature of the insurgency and its effect on Iraq's nascent government and its effect on the timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal.

Time Needed for Completion:
The activities can be used in sequence or individually. Each activity will take 1-2 days.

Materials:
Access to the Internet Student handouts: (Adobe Acrobat required)
"Looking Back"
"Timeline for Iraqi Democracy"
"Ethnic and Religious Diversity's Effect on Developing an Iraqi Constitution"
"The Nature of the Insurgency and the Prospect of U.S. Troop Withdrawal"

Activity I:Looking Back

Background:
Within days of the attacks on September 11, 2001, the Bush Administration discussed the prospect of war with Iraq as part of the war on terror. By November of that year, war plans were being developed at the Defense Department and the White House. Soon events escalated as the Administration made the case that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction posed a threat and needed to be stopped. President Bush's February 2002 State of the Union address identified Iraq as one of the countries that composed an "axis of evil." Though controversial now, the message at the time was clear to many Americans, as the president stated, "By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger…the price of indifference would be catastrophic… America will do what is necessary to ensure our nation's security." In October of 2002, the president received support from Congress authorizing the use of military force in Iraq. In November, through President Bush's urging, the UN passed Resolution 1441 which stated Iraq was in "material breach" of its obligations to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors. The resolution also provided Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" and "that it will face serious consequences" as a result of continued violations. In the early months of 2003, intense pressure was placed on Iraq and the U.N. by the United States to take action. By March, final war plans were put in place and a "coalition of the willing" was ready for war. On the morning of March 20th the bombs began to fall on Baghdad and other strategic areas in Iraq and soon coalition forces stationed in Kuwait began the invasion of Iraq.

Historians interpret history by looking back on original documents and public writings that provide the facts of an event but also the feelings and analysis surrounding the event. In this activity, students will review a series of Washington Week programs with between January 8, 2002 and March 21, 2003 to chronicle the events that led to war. The intent is to provide them with an actual "look back in time." Working in small groups, students record the events as they unfolded and analyze their significance and impact at the time they occurred. Then the class will construct a timeline to record the events and assess their impact on the final outcome.

Procedure:
1. Divide the class into 12 groups of two or three students.
2. Distribute the handout "Looking Back" to all students and assign one of the Washington Week entries to each group from Part A.
3. Have students read the introduction piece and follow the directions to download the Washington Week segment episode and review the transcripts. If it is not possible for students to access the Internet, copies of the transcripts can be downloaded and printed for distribution.
4. Tell students to take notes following the note taking guide in Part B as they review the program segment.
5. Call students into one large group to review their findings.
This can be done in two parts:
1) have students develop a timeline of key events gathered from their research by placing these events on the board or long butcher paper.
2) Use the debriefing questions in Part C to conclude the activity.

Each of these correlate to the twelve video segments students will research. They can be used as a full class debriefing activity, as a guide for small group presentations, or as assessment questions.

Activity II: Timeline for Democracy
Background:
Regime change and promoting democracy in Iraq was part of U.S. foreign policy as early as 1998. A $97 million law passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton authorized military assistance to Iraqi opposition forces expressly for those purposes. Though the initial focus of the current war with Iraq was to seek out and destroy all weapons of mass destruction, it was understood that this could probably only be accomplished through regime change. Thus, another element of the war strategy was to work with Iraqi opposition leaders to help build a democratic Iraq, including the preparation of a new constitution. A further objective was to establish a broad-based democratic government that would respect basic rights of all Iraqis, including women and minorities, and adhere to the rule of law, including freedom of speech and worship. This activity has students review a timeline of Iraq's move toward democracy.

The timeline was adopted from the U.S. State Department's webpage "Building Democracy in Iraq" and contains major dates in Iraq's democracy development. Due to the on-going nature of this topic, you may choose to wait until after all the steps in the timeline have been completed or examine only the steps completed at the time when you conduct this activity.

Procedure:
1. Put up this statement on the front board or overhead: "What elements make up a democratic government?"
2. Ask students to review this question. Their responses can focus on specific items like a constitution, bill of rights, universal suffrage, representative government, and frequent elections. Or they can also be more broad reaching ideals like the Four Freedoms - Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Worship.
3. Write their ideas on the board and discuss why these elements are important in a democracy.
4. Then distribute the student handout "Timeline for Iraqi Democracy" to all students and have them review it.
5. Ask them if they can identify where any of the democratic elements they listed are found in the various steps of the timeline.
6. Divide students into small groups with each taking one of the key dates in the timeline and researching information about the event from the Washington Week website (dates and instructions for finding the segments are noted on the handout). Have students use the research questions to conduct their inquiry. If it is not possible for students to access the Internet, copies of the transcripts can be downloaded and printed for distribution.
7. After students have researched the material, have them meet as a class and each group briefly present its findings following the research questions they answered. Discuss the extent of these developments on the timeline and what, if anything might need to be done to further promote the efforts of creating a democracy in Iraq.

Activity III: Ethnic and Religious Groups in Iraq - the making of a constitution

Background:
Relations between Iraq's ethnic and religious groups have often been contentious. From the end of the First World War when European allied powers drew borders to suit their own economic interests to the current struggle for democracy, the Iraqi ethnic population has never been homogenous.

In this activity, students will look at issues surrounding Iraq's ethnic and religious population in relation to their future in a democratic government. There are three parts in this unit. You will want to review the procedures and student handouts before presenting them to your class. You also may conduct any of the three parts independently of the others. Because of the complexity of the issues surrounding Islamic religion and democracy you might want to invite a cleric from a local mosque to come and speak to your class to help explain some of the concerns Iraqi citizens might have in the formulation of their government. Or contact a local college or university's Middle Eastern Studies department or a World Affairs Council for possible speakers.

Procedure:
1. Divide the class into small groups of 3-4.
2. Distribute the handout "Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Iraq."
3. Have students review Part 1 of the handout on "Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Iraq"
4. Working in their small groups, have students review and analyze the editorial cartoons by answering the questions below them.
5. After the groups have completed their examination of the cartoons, have a representative from each group present their analysis of the editorial cartoons to the class and conduct a class discussion around the different views of the artists.
6. Next, have students go to Part 2 and review the maps of ethnic and religious groups and oil reserves in their handout. In small groups, have students review the questions on the maps to gain a solid understanding of the circumstances surrounding the religious and ethnic divisions.
7. Then have students go to Part 3 on the "Building a Constitution in Iraq." Divide students into four large groups. Assign each group one of the four constitutional topics being discussed in the development of the Iraqi constitution.
8. Have students review the topic and discuss the corresponding questions below the topic.
9. When students have completed their topic discussions, have them take out the "Challenges and Possible Solutions" chart and follow the directions on their handout to complete the columns pertaining to their topic. From the topic description and the discussion questions they reviewed in their group, they should find or develop a central question on the topic and write it in the column marked Question. Then they should list the challenges to this topic in the next column (these can often be found in the description of the topic or in their discussions). Finally, have students discuss and create some possible solutions the Iraqis might take to meet the challenges posed in this topic.
10. Have students discuss their possible solutions in a full class discussion.

Activity IV: The Nature of the Insurgency and the Prospect for Troop Withdrawal

Background:
Some Americans see the war in Iraq as a part of the war on terror being fought to protect the homeland by taking the fight to the enemy and in the cause of advancing freedom. Others see the war as a potential disaster based on ill-founded information and conducted by incompetent management. This lesson activity is intended to help students understand the facts of the issue and allow them to draw their own conclusions. It looks at the ever-increasing interrelationship between the insurgency in Iraq and the potential for withdrawal of U.S. troops. It provides background information on the nature of the insurgency and the frequency of attacks. It also encourages students to examine different points of view regarding the fight against the insurgency and the possibility of withdrawing or drawing down the numbers of U.S. troops from Iraq. Because of the potential volatile nature of this topic, you might want to help students understand the importance of discussing controversial issues in class and to remember to respect others as they might present opinions that disagree with theirs.

Procedure:
1. Distribute the student handout "The Nature of the Insurgency and the Prospect of U.S. Troop Withdrawal" and one or two index cards per student.
2. Ask students to go to Part 1 and review the two quotes on the U.S. mission in Iraq from their handout and without advocating either side have them write one of these apparent contradictions on their index card.
3. Ask for volunteers for students' reactions and briefly record summaries of their comments on the board highlighting the apparent contradictions as they describe them. Discuss the contradictions and the possible reasons for them.
4. Divide the class into groups of five and have them follow the student directions in Part 2 on their handout to research the answers to the background questions on the insurgency in Iraq. This can be done as a homework assignment or in class in a computer lab. In addition to the sources from the Washington Week program listed below, you might also have them look at information from other sources listed at the end of this guide.
5. After students have finished their research, have them meet briefly in their groups to discuss their findings.
6. Have students move to Part 3 and review the following instruction with them. Explain to students the class will conduct a "fishbowl" activity (also called "inside-outside" discussion session). Now might be a good time to review your rules for class discussions. Then ask students to count off one to five. Keep a list of who is in each group. Begin with the "1's" sitting in the middle of the class facing each other and the rest of the class sitting in a circle around them.
7. The teacher or a student can moderate the discussion using the suggested questions on the student handout (also found below) or ones of your own. Only the students in the inner group are allowed to respond to the questions you ask. If a student from the outer circle wants to join the discussion, he or she moves to the middle of the circle, taps a participant to move to the outer circle, and takes that student's place. After ample time is spent on the first question, call up the second group to the center and follow the same procedure with a second question. Switch discussion questions enough times to allow for all students to participate.

Resources:
Washington Week program segments:
July 18, 2003 Scroll down to "Pentagon admits US now engaged in guerrilla warfare in Iraq" http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/transcripts/transcript030718.html October 22, 2004 Scroll down to Gwen Ifill's statement "One recurring campaign topic has been the war in Iraq." http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/transcripts/transcript041022.html May 6, 2005 Scroll down to "Grim news from Iraq" http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/transcripts/transcript050506.html

Questions for the "Fishbowl" Activity:
1. The U.S. has embarked on two policy tracks in Iraq: a political track to form a government and a military track to pacify the country so the new government can take over. Should the U.S. continue to pursue these two tracks or take before the other or only take one and not the other? Why or why not? If it should, which track should it pursue first? Why?
2. Should the U.S. military continue to support the development of an Iraqi military force or increase its own troop strength and take on the insurgency themselves?
3. How should the U.S. help Iraqis address any of the four issues of concern to formulate a workable constitution?
4. Do you feel Iraq is headed for or already engaged in a civil war? Explain your reasoning. What actions should the U.S. and the Iraqi governments take to prevent or stop a civil war?
5. Has the progress of the war in Iraq been such that U.S. involvement is still necessary and effective or should the U.S. begin to carry out an exit strategy to bring the troops home? Defend your position.

Assessment Suggestions:
It is important that the students feel free to express their views on controversial issues like this one. The assessment for this activity can take on many forms. Students can be assessed on the quality of their participation in the discussions. They can also be assessed on a paper or project that reflects their thoughts and views on the issue.

Below are some suggestions:
1. Students write a research paper on the nature of the insurgency in Iraq and the steps being taken to address it.
2. Students conduct a debate on the question of when U/S. troops be withdrawn, in what capacity, and on what (if any) time schedule.
3. Students develop projects on the struggle to bring democracy to Iraq. This could include pictures and cover the areas of building a government, the ethnic groups and their positions, the development of a constitution, and the views of the American public.

Extensions:
1. Trace the political events that led to war with Iraq from September 11, 2001 to March 20, 2003. Identify key periods that brought the U.S. closer to war. Use different sources for your research including "conservative" and "liberal" leaning sources. Compare and contrast these resources' impressions of these key events and analyze the differences between them.
2. Trace the history of the three different ethnic groups in Iraq. Describe their relationship and the conflicts surrounding it from the aftermath of World War I (particularly the Sykes-Pichot treaty) to the rise of Saddam Hussein's regime.
3. Read the full text of the Iraqi constitution when a final version becomes available. Compare and contrast its provisions to major elements of the U.S. Constitution.
4. Investigate the different groups that compose the insurgency in Iraq. Develop a course of action other than military force to incorporate these groups into the democratic process.
5. Invite a cleric from a local mosque to come and speak to your class to help explain some of the concerns Iraqi citizens might have in the formulation of their government. Or contact a local college or university's Middle Eastern Studies department or a World Affairs Council for possible speakers.
6. Write a letter to the president, a senator, or congressperson on any of the topics discussed in the activities above. Persuade the government official to think about the topic to your way of thinking. Support your ideas with facts and examples.

Standards:
McRel K-12 Standards Addressed: Historical Understanding Standard
1: Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns Standard
2: Understands the historical perspective World History Standard 44 Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world.

Behavioral Studies Standard
4: Understands conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among individuals, groups, and institutions.

Civics Standard
25: Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights.

Resources:
"The Mystery of the Insurgency" by James Bennet, The New York Times
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/15/news/insurgents.php

"Motives and Methods: Iraq's Insurgency" by Nancy Youssef, Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq20e_20050520.htm

"Building Democracy in Iraq" - U.S. State Department http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/iraqelect/building.htm

Washington Week
http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek

MidEast Web
http://www.mideastweb.org

Global Security.org
http://www.globalsecurity.org

About the Author:
Greg Timmons is a teacher, curriculum writer and Executive Director of The Constitution Project in Portland, Oregon. He has taught middle school and secondary Social Studies for over 30 years, wrote lessons, and directed institutes on US Constitution related issues. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Council for the Social studies.

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