Students received an essay that appeared in newspapers around the country last weekend. The American Union's First Stage Could Be A Model for the Mideast, by Joseph J. Ellis, suggests the Articles of Confederation as a model for how Iraq, and possibly other Middle East countries, could be changed to allow disparate populations (for example, Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds in Iraq) to find a way to live together in a loose confederation. Read this carefully, highlight terms you do not understand and look them up, and highlight ideas you do not understand. We will discuss terms and ideas in class on Thursday, then answer questions based on this essay.
We watched more of our China documentary today. Remember to keep up with your reading assignments.