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The New French President
May 8, 2007







Time Magazine is running a story entitled, "A Pro-American"
French President."

According to the article, Dominique Reyni, a commentator and
political science professor at the Fondation Nationale des Sciences
Politiques in Paris said, newly elected French President Nicolas
"Sarkozy is a committed European and an admirer of America, but
in the end he's going to do what's best for France's national
interests - and his own political fortunes..Sarkozy has yet to
articulate a unified foreign policy view, and for a while will probably
be making decisions pragmatically, based on the issues and interests
at hand. That's going to involve some surprises - including some
that may not entirely please the U.S."

The article emphasizes, however, that Mr. Sarkozy is looking
forward to starting his government's relations with the U.S. on a
clean slate.

Read the article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Ask your students if they think it is OK for the President to
    litter? Why/why not? Is it OK for your child(ren) to litter?
    Why/why not?
  • Consider making signs with your students to
    discourage littering.

  • Have your students ever known another child who teased
    other children? How did this child tease other children? Is it
    OK for somebody to watch as one child teases another?
    Why/why not? What is the appropriate way to respond to
    somebody who is teasing others? Why?
  • Consider asking students to develop skits in which
    they demonstrate how to respond to children who are
    teasing other children.

  • Do your students know anybody who speaks a foreign
    language? What language do they speak? Would your
    students like to learn a different language? Why/why not? Do
    they know any words, perhaps words associated with
    computers, that you do not know? Challenge them to find a
    word that you don't know.
  • Consider creating a glossary of words for the
    computer with your students.

  • Do your students like any food that comes from a different
    country? What kind of food do they like? Would they like to
    visit the country from which the food comes? Why/why
    not? What kinds of things do they think they'd see in this
    country?
  • Consider holding a party in which every student
    brings in a different kind of ethnic food. This is a
    great opportunity to celebrate diversity.

Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: Harbinger; Pragmatically;
    Pedantic; and, Regime.

  • Ask your students to articulate three principles that they
    think nations should keep in mind when interacting with their
    allies. Can your students think of any reasons that it might be
    difficult for nations to always interact according to these
    principles? Encourage them to explain!!
  • Students could develop these three principles in
    groups of two or three. The entire class could then
    discuss the principles that the different groups
    developed.

  • What do your students think is more important: the
    protection of human rights or the protection of the
    environment? Encourage them to explain why. Is it fair to
    ask this question? Why/why not? Can your students think of
    any reasons why policymakers might have to choose
    between these two types of protection? Why?
  • These questions might prompt an interesting class
    discussion. Alternatively, students could develop a
    dialogue between President Bush and former Vice
    President Al Gore in which they discuss these
    questions.

  • Ask your students to respond to the following statement:
    "The United States of America should not worry about what
    happens in France, Afghanistan or Iraq. We should bring our
    army home, secure our borders, and only concern ourselves
    with what is happening in the United States." Do your
    students agree or disagree with this statement. Urge them to
    explain. Can your students think of any reasons why their
    opinions might not be completely accurate? Explain!!
  • Consider asking students to respond to these
    questions in persuasive essays. Students could be
    asked to include a reference to a core democratic
    value in their papers.
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