NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
To talk about President Trump, Ukraine and NATO’s new spending commitments, Nick Schifrin sat down with Secretary General Mark Rutte.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who is Mark Rutte and what is his role?
- What major commitments did NATO reveal at the summit?
- Where is the defense spending going?
- When will Ukraine be at greater risk without extra spending for defense?
- Why did the Trump administration demand that other NATO nations increase their spending on defense?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- Think about how you would use diplomacy to broker an agreement which satisfies members with more influence without ignoring those with less power. Do you think the Secretary General's diplomacy was effective? What might you do differently?
Media literacy: Consider who the interviewee is, do you think the interview is guided by his role and interests? Are there views not included in the video which offers different perspective?
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
- Practice diplomacy by having students represent the perspectives of different countries that are part of NATO. What are common interests? What are interests that some countries have that are different than others?
- Join Model UN to step into the shoes of world leaders to experience the demands of leadership that requires global awareness to make decisions.
- You can use this guide for setting up mock United Nations debates as a place to start.
Written by Kevin Roodnauth, PBS News Hour Classroom's intern and senior at Amherst College, and News Hour's Vic Pasquantonio.
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