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Iraqis Blame Americans
February 5, 2007







The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Iraqis Fault Pace
of U.S. Plan in Attack."

The article begins, "A growing number of Iraqis are saying that the
United States is to blame for creating conditions that led to the worst
single suicide bombing in the war, which devastated a Shiite market in
Baghdad on Saturday. They argued that the Americans had been slow
in completing the vaunted new American security plan, making Shiite
neighborhoods much more vulnerable to such horrific attacks."

According to the article, the American military, collaborating with the
Iraqis, have arrested the leadership of the Shiite militia. Though this
militia is responsible for many attacks on Sunni groups, they
simultaneously served as a deterrent to attacks on the Shiite
community.

With the Shiite militia decimated the deterrent has been diminished.
Read the Article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Ask your students why they think that two people would fight.
    Wouldn't it just make more sense to talk?
  • Consider making a list on the board of strategies that
    students could use to avoid fighting.

  • Ask your students, if they see somebody making fun of
    somebody else, is it OK if they just walk away? Why/why not?
  • Consider asking students to develop short skits of things
    that they could say to their friends or other kids to get
    them to stop making fun of somebody else.

  • Do your students know any bullies? Why would somebody
    bully others? What's the best way to respond to bullies? Why?
    Encourage your students to explain their thoughts.(Note:
    Remind students not to mention names of bullies in your class.)
  • Since one of the reasons that people bully is that they do
    not feel good about themselves, consider asking
    students to think of one thing that they've done over the
    last few days that they feel particularly good about.

  • Is it possibly to hurt somebody else with words? How? Is the
    old saying, "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names
    will never hurt me," true? Why/why not?
  • Consider putting "name calling" on trial in your
    classroom. (What are the effects of name calling?)
    Through this trial, obviously, help students see that
    name calling does cause harm.

Discussion-Starters for Older Students
  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: Devastation; Emasculated;
    Deterrent; and, Sectarian.

  • Why do many Iraqis think that Americans are to blame for the
    terrible bomb blasts that occurred in a largely Shiite market
    place this past weekend? Do your students think that the Iraqis
    who believe this have a valid point? Why/why not?
  • Consider asking students to read the article and answer
    the question in small groups. Then, they can discuss it
    as a whole class.

  • One Iraqi said, “I wish they would attack us with a nuclear
    bomb and kill us all so we will rest and anybody who wants the
    oil — which is the core of the problem — can come and get it.
    We can not live this way anymore. We are dying slowly every
    day.” Tell your students to imagine that they met this Iraqi in
    person. What would they say to him?
  • Students could write imagined conversations.

  • Pose: A study commission on Iraq wants to know how things
    might have been done differently. How should the Americans
    have responded to the Shiite militia before they began arresting
    its leaders. (Perhaps the Americans did everything correctly
    and should not responded any differently?) Remember that this
    militia, while protecting Shiites inflicts damage to Sunni
    communities.
  • Ask students to draw a cause/effect chart showing how
    possible American actions might have had different
    effects.
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