Dr. Marc Turetzky
Pols1, Spring 2016 Name ____________________________________
Discussion Questions: Politics & Foreign Policy (*Note: turn in ALL discussion & video response work sheets the day they are passed out OR at the next class meeting*)
1) How does Professor Dye describe international politics?
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2) What is the basic purpose of foreign policy?
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3) How does Dye define terrorism? What does the Latin Root of the term suggest?
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4) Why do you think America was hit by the 9/11 attackers (as opposed to Sweden or Iceland)?
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5) The prevailing wisdom after the 9/11/01 attacks was that we’d be hit again. There have been attempts but we haven’t been hit with another 9/11 style attack. Why (i.e., better airport security, luck, more vigilant population, creation of a big brother surveillance state, our enemies/their offshoots are comically weak, luck, threat is wildly overblown, etc)?
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6) Where is America most vulnerable to another 9/11 or lesser terrorist attack (i.e., airports, borders, ports, public transport, etc)?
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7) If you were a terrorist organization (i.e., al Qaeda, ISIS, al Shabab, Boko Haram, Green Party, etc) how would you attack the United States?
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Video: "Searching for the Roots of 9/11" question
1) What are Tom Friedman's "Three Rivers of Rage" he argues led to the 9/11 attacks? a. River 1:
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2) Do you agree with his central claim that these "rivers of rage" led to the attacks? If you do buy it then why do so many other people around the world in similar situations (India, Botswana, Guatemala, etc) NOT resort to terrorism?
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3) If you don't believe he is right, then what explains the attacks?
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Video Worksheet: “Top Secret America”
1) Generally, what exactly is "Top Secret America" (TSA)?
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2) What is the TSA way of waging the global war on terrorism?
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3) Why is secrecy so critical to the secret global war being fought by the US?
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4) What was "Greystone" and what role did the CIA play in this mission? Was the Greystone mission successful?
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5) How big and costly is TSA?
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6) Does TSA actually do the job it was created to do: namely defend the homeland from further attacks by our terrorist enemies?
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7) Do you feel TSA is necessary or an infringement/potential infringement on our civil liberties?
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8) Given our national debt, budget deficit, and spending levels can we even afford TSA?
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9) Overall assessment of the video: was it objective and fair-minded or slanted for or against the subject?
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