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The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Chirac Strays
from Assailing a Nuclear Iran."

The article begins, "(French) President Jacques Chirac said this week
(on Monay) that if Iran had one or two nuclear weapons, it would not
pose a big danger, and that if Iran were to launch a nuclear weapon
against a country like Israel, it would lead to the immediate destruction
of Tehran."

The next day, the French President gave another interview in which he
retracted his earlier comments. According to a statement released by
the President's office, he later said “I do not see what type of scenario
could justify Iran’s recourse to an atomic bomb.”
Read the Article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Ask your students if it's important to speak the truth?
    Why/why not?
  • Consider developing a "contract" with your class in
    which everybody agrees to speak the truth. Students
    might sign their names on the bottom of it. On the other
    hand, each student can create their own "pledge" to tell
    the truth, perhaps in the form of a picture.

  • Have your students ever said something that they later wished
    they had not said? What? Why did they later wish they had not
    said it?
  • Perhaps students could create "radio shows" or skits in
    which they tell of one such occasion. You might also
    ask students to interview their parents about this
    question.

  • What can people do if they say something that they later regret
    saying?
  • Consider making a list on the board with student
    answers.

  • Have your students ever met an older adult who had a hard
    time speaking and/or saying what they meant? Who was the
    adult? Why did this person have a hard time speaking?


Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary Terms to Discuss: "Off the Record"; Retract;
    Inevitable; and, Neurological.

  • Do your students think that it would be OK for Iran to develop
    and possess one or two nuclear weapons? Why/why not? Is it
    worth it for the United States to go to war with Iran to prevent
    them from acquiring such weapons? Why/why not?
  • Students could make possible flow charts examining
    potential consequences of both the United States
    attacking Iran to prevent them from building nuclear
    weapons and Iran successfully building nuclear
    weapons.

  • According to the article, President Chirac suffered a
    neurological illness in 2005. What effect might such an illness
    have on the leadership of France? Who really leads a country,
    the president or his/her advisors?
  • Students might develop skits to demonstrate their
    perceptions of national leadership structures.

  • Compare the spoken word to the feathers in a pillow.
  • Consider asking students to respond to this prompt in an
    essay.
Chirac Strays  
February 1, 2007
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