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TERRORISM

1. Challenge students to recall terrorist attacks that have occurred in the United States in recent years. Examples may include the World Trade Center, the Unibomber, the Oklahoma City bombing. Ask your students if they believe the United States is generally safe from terrorism. If they answer yes, ask what infrastructure is in place to ensure safety in the country; if no, ask why not.

2. The attacks on September 11, 2001 in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh were among the most terrible terrorist attacks in the world, in terms of loss of life and the nature of the terrorists' crimes. Ask students to share what they know about these attacks. Why do they think the terrorists chose the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? Why did the terrorists choose to hijack U.S. commercial airlines and use them as weapons? What should be the U.S. response?

3. Ask students to think of other terrorist attacks they can remember, either at home or abroad. Do any of them approach the magnitude of this attack? What similarities exist in how the attacks were carried out?

4. Have groups of students visit the following Web sites for more information about terrorist acts worldwide over the past five years. Have them create a timeline or map-based representation of terrorist activity.

· U.S. Department of State: Patterns of Global Terrorism http://www.usis.usemb.se/terror/index.html

· International Association for Counter Terrorism and Security Professionals
http://www.iacsp.com/terror-in.html

5. Various organizations actively work to eliminate terrorism or have sponsored international gatherings about terrorism. Ask students to work in pairs or groups to learn more about various organizations and to summarize the work they've done to counter terrorism.

· USIA: Response to Terrorism http://www.usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/terror/
Find UN resolutions, treaties on terrorism, trial reports related to Pan Am 103, information on the National Commission on Terrorism, the Commission on National Security, and the Gilmore Commission.

· Inter-Parliamentary Union http://www.ipu.org/conf-e/95spl.htm Find text of the IPU resolution of 1996, "Fighting Terrorism, an International Phenomenon

6.Now, ask students to work in groups to examine the possible solutions to eradicate terrorism. Students may access different proposals and recommendations online; an abbreviated list follows. As students research one or more of these sites, ask them to paraphrase the main findings/recommendations.

· UN: International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997)
http://www0.un.org/cyberschoolbus/treaties/terrorist.asp

· UN Press Release (Dec. 2000)Security Council Imposes Wide New Measures Against Taliban Authorities in Afghanistan, Demands Action on Terrorism.

· UN Press Release (Dec. 2000) Assembly Seeks Continued Work Toward Convention Against Terrorism; Support Urged for Statute of International Criminal Court

7. Ask students to work in groups, imagining they are an international delegation appearing at the United Nations, charged with establishing a platform or course of action for eradicating terrorism. From what they have just read, and from their own discussion, what five recommendations do they think make the most sense? Have them draw up a proposal listing their recommendations, and supporting each with a brief justification. Ask each group to share these with the class.

8. As a class, evaluate the different proposals. Which one(s) make the most sense? Discuss the merits of each group's work. Students may also be interested in commentary at the Amnesty International Web site, which explores the balance between counter-terrorism tactics and individual freedoms (search using keyword "terrorism").

9. In his speech to the nation on the evening of September 11, President Bush implied that the United States would pursue retaliation not just against terrorist groups themselves, but also against nations suspected of harboring or otherwise abetting terrorists. For more information about this, visit the PBS Online News Hour panel discussion with several former government officials. What do students think of this policy? For example, what might happen if the U.S. were to launch air strikes against Afghanistan, because it suspects that Afghanistan is harboring a terrorist who is believed to have masterminded a terrorist attack against the U.S.? What are some likely consequences?

10.Ask students to parepare an opinion essay about this question. Do students support military strikes and/or sanctions against countries suspected of harboring terrorists? Ask students to defend their opinions.

UNIT 6