Indiana Capitol Forum

Class Statements 2008

 

School: Arsenal Technical High School

Class: American Studies / U.S. History

Teacher: Troy Hammon

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

Terrorism

Environment

Nuclear Weapons

Immigration

Trade

Globalization

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Nuclear Weapons & Terrorism were ranked by the class as the top concerns. Equality, freedom and security were voted as the top values.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Trade issues took a backseat to immigration and other issues. Neither concerned the class as much as the threat of nuclear weapons.

Class Statement: The main concerns of our class were terrorism and nuclear weapons, these concerns led us to choose Future Two (Protect U.S. Global Interests). We believe that by the U.S. taking a more proactive stance against terrorism the result will be a more secure global community. Along with this new stance on terrorism, we propose that the U.S. take a more active role in stopping the spread of nuclear weapons to countries known to be violent and/or unfriendly and terrorist organizations. By taking these steps we not only increase America’s sense of security, but we are also easing the minds of nations across the world. The main values our class choose were Equality, Freedom, and Security. To protect our economic freedom we believe that America should focus on strengthening its key trade relationships and ensuring our access to crucial raw materials. It is our firm belief that with balanced freedom and security, our country can obtain full equality. Overall, by focusing more on ourselves, our safety, and our prosperity, we can be better prepared for any type of future.

~~~~~~

School: Arsenal Technical High School

Class: American Studies / English

Teacher: Mari Garing

What specific international issues did your class discuss?

Terrorism

Environment

Nuclear Weapons

Immigration

Trade

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? The environment, terrorism and nuclear weapons were ranked by the class as the top concerns. Security and stability were voted as the top values.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? The class felt that trade, immigration and other issues were not quite as worrisome as the perceived global threat topics.

Class Statement: Our class has come to the conclusion that nuclear weapons and terrorism are very important issues since they greatly affect a nation’s security and stability. Events such as 9/11 and the Cold War are further proof that terrorism can greatly devastate the sense of security of any people. American people have the right to feel safe in their homeland. We as a nation should not feel vulnerable to danger. Our economy should not be in a constant state of instability. To resolve terrorism our future, protecting the U.S. homeland, plans to strengthen domestic intelligence and implement a national defense force if a disaster occurred.

The environment is also viewed as an important issue as climate change and environmental conditions have an impact on a nation’s stability. The environment’s degradation is as credible a threat to the stability of a nation as are the protection natural resources and natural boundaries. If environmental deterioration continues there will be a rising issue of competition for resources in nations, which will lead to rising chaos and instability. To ensure a nations stability, policies must be adopted which preserve its environment. National security strategies should be expanded and bolstered in order to effectively address these issues.

~~~~~~

School: Cathedral High School

Class: The History of the Americas

Teacher: Sister Mary Ann Stewart

What specific international issues did your class discuss? Genocide of children in Africa, trade with China, global warming and climate change, nuclear weapons, illegal immigration, terrorism, HIV/AIDs in Africa, renewable and alternative fuels

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Genocide, immigration, terrorism, HIV/AIDs in Africa, the environment, nuclear proliferation

Class Statement: Cathedral High School’s Capitol Forum representatives believe the major issues confronting U.S. Foreign Policy include genocide, immigration, terrorism, HIV/AIDs in Africa, the environment, and nuclear proliferation.

We feel the United States should provide more aid and attention to countries experiencing genocide within their borders. The U.S. should work with the United Nations in implementing quick-action programs to save the lives of the thousands of children and adults affected by genocide every year. We feel that genocide infringes upon human rights and thus warrants a peaceful intervention.

The United States should streamline the process of legal immigration. Additionally, we should grant amnesty to economically viable illegal immigrants and grant a one-year period for them to apply for citizenship without penalty.

The United States should act in a more culturally sensitive manner in relation to the war on terror. The U.S. should focus on strengthening its defense and homeland security.

The United States should take a more prominent role in combating HIV/AIDs in Africa.

~~~~~~

School: Covenant Christian High School

Class: 11th grade US History

Teacher: Yvonne Thompson

Class Statement: Our foreign policy should focus on protecting U.S. interests. As the dollar’s global value declines, we need to maintain strong trade relations with foreign nations. The American government needs to provide grants to private businesses and research firms to develop green products, including alternative fuel sources. This will reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and lead to new exports which will help the American economy. The federal government also needs to invest more into our youth’s college education, so that we have highly skilled young leaders who will be prepared to compete in the global workforce. Multilateral cooperation is needed to resolve the situation in Iraq, and we propose a timetable to gradually bring our troops home over the next two years, with complete withdrawal by 2013. Cooperation with the rest of the world in regards to the war on terror is vital. We cannot negate our history with the UN, and we must remember that terror and nuclear proliferation are not just threats to U.S. security, but to the entire world. We must also continue our work with the UN to combat global poverty and genocide so that the freedoms of all people are preserved.

~~~~~~

School: Frankton HIgh School

Class: 12th grade AP US Government

Teacher: Kevin Cline

Class Statement: “We, as a team, believe that the single greatest issue facing the United States is globalization. However, we also feel that, under this umbrella issue, are five main sub-issues which will guide the United States in defining its role in a new global world: environment, immigration, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and trade.

We believe that current levels of global pollution and emissions are unacceptable. The United States should present itself as an example to the world of a country committed to finding more efficient energy sources, which we believe will lower pollution. We also feel that uncontrolled immigration can have a negative effect on the American economy. We fear the potential dangers that may arise from open borders. Therefore, we strongly urge the United States to take a stronger stance on both illegal immigration and border control.

Furthermore, we believe there needs to be a global effort, led by the United States if necessary, to eliminate the surplus of nuclear weapons around the world. Having said this, we also recognize the need to maintain a small nuclear arsenal as a deterrent against possible future aggression. With regards to trade, we understand and appreciate the need for the United States to have an active role in the global economy. However, while we would like to see methods pursued which would keep the United States competitive in the global market, we do not want to see it done at the expense of American jobs. Finally, we believe that acts of terrorism are inexcusable, and certainly threaten the security of the United States. Therefore we support American leadership in a global coalition to pursue all avenues of rooting out terrorism, both through diplomatic means and force, if necessary.”

~~~~~~

School: Jefferson High School

Class: US History, World History, Current Issues

Teacher: Ms. Diehl

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed Immigration, Nuclear Proliferation, Global Environment, Terrorism, and International Trade.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We believe that Global Environment and Nuclear Proliferation are very important issues because these have direct and serious consequences for the entire planet.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? We believe that Immigration, International Trade, and Terrorism, while still important, are less important issues because they have a more indirect effect on the well-being of the entire planet.

Class Statement: Being one of the leading countries, the United States needs to promote policies that are beneficial to the world as a whole. The following policies will encourage the rest of the world to become a better and safer place.

To support the environment, the US Government needs to follow the lead of Japan and Australia to promote a green economy. Policies should be put in place to both promote and develop green technology, especially renewable energy sources.

While protecting American jobs from being moved overseas and preventing child labor exploitation are very important issues, a stronger global economy can occur if the United States and other countries put standards and values first over profits. Environmental protection is always necessary, and human rights should never be violated in pursuit of the almighty dollar. If the United States helps American workers not lose their jobs by refusing outsourcing, then the United States should also look into ways that can build economic growth and social change in these other countries. This would be beneficial for all involved. By raising standards for quality in trade, rather than profit, terrible import and export problems can disappear, like the pet food scandal and lead paint in toys scandals. One of the most important import trade concerns should be the cost of oil, since it is now over $100 per barrel. Unless oil costs get under control, the global economies of many nations, including the United States, will be badly weakened. No one wins when only the rich get rich and the poor get poorer through global economic trading policies that do not put values on people and the environment first.

In times of worldwide depression, hunger, and discrimination, countries look up to the United States as a haven of hope and prosperity. This nation is known for being a melting pot of diversity and culture. Closing the doors to immigrants creates not only a negative view to the states but also a lack of understanding and tolerance. The US Government should observe a policy that is an equal opportunist with open arms. They should also try to aid the rest of the world by creating resources to limit the amount of valuable individuals from less fortunate countries. By eliminating immigration problems, hopefully terrorism scares will lessen.

The US Government faces huge challenges when dealing with the international problem of terrorism. We should follow a policy of protecting our borders. We need to beef up our homeland security department and take other measures to keep track of everything that flows in and out of our country. We also need to address the conditions which breed terrorism in the international community. By eliminating the causes of terrorisms, we can eventually prevent the need for many other security measures.

One of the major issues in world politics is what to do with nuclear weapons. Which countries should be able to have them and which countries should not be able to develop nuclear weapons. Since the use of the atomic bombs in World War II, countries around the world have been living in constant fear of nuclear war. The only source of protection from nuclear war has been the threat of a nuclear retaliation. The world has no use for nuclear bombs and the U.S. needs to work with the U.N. in order to try and stop nuclear proliferation and to slowly eliminate existing nuclear weapons.

~~~~~~

School: Jefferson High School

Class: U.S. History, World History, Current Issues

Teacher: Mr. Garrett

What specific international issues did your class discuss? The specific international issues we discussed were America‚s relationships with other supporting countries, Involvement with the Middle Eastern conflict, and helping international asylum seekers.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? Issues that we agreed were important the overall homeland security system, the promotion of free trade to improve the overall betterment of third-world countries, the disarmament of current nuclear weapons to a certain extent and the promotion of open production for nuclear power.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Some issues that we agree were less important than others were the continuation of federal aid for third world countries, the entry into conflicts without the knowledge of a possible outcome.

Class Statement:

Immigration - we realize that we must have restrictions on people who immigrate, but we also recognize that certain qualities that these individuals may posses can be beneficial to our economy as well as the country as a whole. Simply, they could become productive members of our society.

Environment - We want to promote sustainable development. Economic and environmental health are linked to one another, and if we destroy the environment, the condition of the economy in the long run will suffer. We want to get the entire world on the same page (with the guidance of the UN) concerning the issues involved with global warming.

Nuclear power - We wish to formulate an agreement to have a partial disarmament of a majority of our nuclear weapons in accord with other nuclear superpowers and nuclear weapons holders in the world. However, we will begin or continue to pursue nuclear power as an alternative energy source; meanwhile lessening our dependence upon foreign oils. Every country‚s actions involving the development of their nuclear energy will be openly discussed and viewed with all other countries who are involved with nuclear power.

Trade - We want to promote free trade in order to strengthen our economy as well as others, and to level the playing field in terms of global trade. We believe, furthermore, that this promotion of free trade will help to lower the amount of federal aid that we give to other countries. Finally, we would like to limit the amount of government subsidies given to farming organizations and other industries that do not need it. We will accommodate changes within the nation‚s economy due to job loss in manufacturing.

Terrorism - We went with the option that promoted the defending of our homeland. We will scale back our foreign involvement by reducing the amount of foreign aid programs, pulling out of the Middle East, and focusing more on the issues that involve the security of our homeland.

~~~~~~

School: Jefferson High School

Class: U.S. History, World History, Geography, Current Issues

Teacher: Mr. Graves

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed the topic of nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists. We discussed the terrorism in the U.S and how the U.S is trying to stop it. We discussed global warming and how to stop it. We also discussed how to improve trade between nations.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We agreed that nuclear weapons, terrorism, and the environment are the most important issues.

Did you agree that some issues are less important? If so, which ones? Yes, we agreed that trade and immigration are lesser issues in today‚s world.

Class Statement: We believe that the United States of America should pursue a course of cooperation. We should look more to diplomatic solutions and developing good relations with other countries rather than forcing our solutions upon others. The United States should take an active role in the world and providing cooperative leadership in issues of importance. 

We believe that cooperation, community, equality, tolerance, leadership, and democracy are all values that we should pursue in our policies. Cooperation with other nations and within our own government is necessary to achieve progress in any area. One way to do this would be to work closely with the United Nations concerning important issues and broker compromise between nations. The United Nations should also assume a more authoritative position with more power to generate and enforce decisions. 

The most pressing issues are terrorism and the presence of nuclear weapons. Following the principle of cooperation and tolerance, we should develop stronger diplomatic connections with friendly nations. This way we can develop a united front that can provide forceful pressure on uncooperative nations, allowing governments to better enforce treaties and United Nations rulings. We should also develop better relations with unfriendly nations, which would enable us to understand their views more fully and improve overall cooperation between nations. The development of understanding can begin to remedy the issues that are the root causes of terrorism and the dependence on nuclear weapons. 

A world forum should develop and implement international standards and safeguards to prevent the acquisition and use of nuclear weapons by terrorists and rouge nations. Our government needs to follow the ideal of cooperation in these areas. Information and intelligence needs to be able to flow from agency to agency in order to make the most of it. If more eyes are able to look at it, perhaps more can be inferred from it and threats can be seen and attacks can be prevented.

The next issue we think is important is the global environment. The U.S. should take the lead in environmental legislation. Carbon emissions need to be reduced significantly or else the effects could be catastrophic and by doing this, a new world of technology would open up in the search for more efficient energy. Also, recycling initiatives need to be put into place in greater abundance. This would help reduce the amount of waste going into the environment and thus improve the health of the global environment. It could also lead to the development of alternative fuels, which would in turn help reduce carbon emissions. Good diplomatic relations is also the key to advancing needed global environment reforms. It is a global problem and any solution is negated if several countries do not participate.

The last two issues, immigration and trade, we think are of lesser importance. In regards to immigration, we think that it would be beneficial to give aid to developing countries so that their standard of living would increase and they may not have to look to the U.S. for a better life; they could find it in their own lands. Also, because of the improved economies, the countries could become new trade partners and the U.S. would be able to recoup some of the costs invested in the countries. The number of immigrants to the U.S. would decrease. We also think that the U.S. should more vigorously enforce immigration laws already in place. If more funds and resources were used for this purpose, we believe that the number of illegal immigrants that could get into the U.S. would drop significantly and thus render it a less potent problem.

 In regards to trade policy, the United States should pursue a course of fair trade. We should trade equally with all nations regardless of size or political processes. We should also focus on balancing our own trade. Finally, within the basis of cooperation, we think that international standards for products should be created and/or improved and enforced by a global entity, such at the United Nations.  So, if we make gains in the issues of the presence of nuclear weapons, terrorism, and global warming, then we can focus on issues of lesser importance, such as immigration and trade.

~~~~~~

School: Signature School

Class: AP Comparative Politics/Global Awareness (Team 2)

Teacher: Attilia Gogel

Class Statement:

Immigration: We should enact immigration laws that allow people to immigrate to the United States through procedures that allow them to successfully enter our society without making procedures impossible to undergo. In addition, we should work through the UN and international organizations to improve the conditions of the world's poor to decrease the need for immigration.

Environment: We should encourage education concerning environmental issues so that individuals can play a part in preventing pollution other environmental problems. We should also provide funding for research into technology that allows for cleaner cars, factories, etc. On an international level, we should work with the UN and other nations to clean up existing environmental problems and to prevent future problems from occurring.

While it is important to recognize the need for cooperation and continuity within the wider global community, this in no way means that we need to deprive our own country of resources and help. There are real threats facing Americans: a sagging economy, decaying schools, a shaky health care system. These are problems that need to be addressed. However, these could be addressed in a global way as well. Perhaps it is time to look to other nations for help.

But, if the U.S. would commit to the plan, maybe other nations would follow suit. The plan would increase the power of the U.N., but other nations would be given positions of power and would contribute their part in the military aspect of it, not just us. We cannot, however, do so with the problems the United State alone faces. Billions and even trillions of dollars are spent on foreign escapades. If we could decrease the amount of money spent outside of the U.S., we could increase the amount spent inside on education, health care, and the sagging economy. Once the economy has made a positive turn, the U.S. would be able to then go and spend money elsewhere to help other issues in the world.

Economic Policy: We should take a firmer stance in negotiations with our trading partners in order to protect American industries from unfair foreign competition and American jobs from cheap foreign labor. We should also reduce our dependence on foreign oil by encouraging American oil companies to invest elsewhere, promoting alternative sources of energy and energy conservation.

Environment: We must work toward strengthening the UN’s role in reducing environmental pollution in the world. We must also enforce additional environmental reforms such as stricter recycling laws in the United States.

The United States must also be willing to lend its power and support to institutions such as the United Nations in order to ensure a more internationally-recognized peaceful world and work cooperatively on issues such as the faltering economy and the environment.

The United States must accept that though it is a super-power, it is not perfect. It must abandon efforts to create democracy in other parts of the world, particularly the Middle East. The focus should be redirected to supporting the political environment the people choose for themselves.

We must be selective in our involvement in international affairs, but we must be prepared to protect ourselves at home and abroad against any threats to our security and prosperity, even if this policy may breed resentment and lead to an angry backlash against us.

Extensive funding and subsidies ought to be given to encourage the transition of the U.S. from black to green but should keep them in the black, financially speaking

Through protection of the environment, limited nuclear proliferation and terrorism, fair trade practices, and a more open immigration policy, our futures attempt to balance the interests of the United States and our global community.

Within the last few years, environmental conditions worldwide have taken a turn for the worse and must be checked before any more permanent damage is done. It is important that the United States focuses on transitioning to alternative energy. This includes putting more effort towards informing the American public of the benefits of alternative fuels and promoting the development of “green” technology. This new focus is imperative so that we as a nation work with other countries to help this transition, so that the world as improve environmental conditions.

As nuclear weapons cannot be eliminated it is important to focus on ways to reduce the number and proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world today. Through cooperating with the U.N., the IAEA, and current nuclear powers and following international arms agreements, the number of weapons in the nuclear stockpile can be drastically reduced while allowing states to have enough weapons to uphold their security. Prevention may also come in the form of diplomacy. Our understanding of the states desiring nuclear weapons can facilitate agreements to disrupt their nuclear intents.

The threat of terrorism is a decisive factor in U.S. foreign policy and can be prevented through political stability and economical stability. The promotion of human rights, equality, freedom, and a higher quality of life in a non-aggressive conduct would reduce the possibility of civilian terrorism. Diplomacy should be revived in U.S. foreign policy, but a military approach is sometimes inevitable. When this resort occurs then the support of the U.N. should be obtained fully.

The future of immigration should be a combination between opening the U.S. to all immigrants and making emigration unnecessary. Emigrants inject valuable skills into the work force; however, it is important to assure that potential emigrants can be supported at home through foreign aid and incentives. These incentives convince some potential emigrants to remain in their home country and improve their local situation. However, if the foreign aid programs are insufficient for an individual, he/she should be able to easily emigrate by removing many of the bureaucratic obstacles that prevent emigrants from easily obtaining visas or citizenship.

U.S. involvement in foreign trade should be secure and environmentally friendly, while being free from efforts which produce or maintain corrupt business, inhuman conditions, and/or human rights violations in any region. Trade should help new or struggling economies to rise into development, resulting in the stabilization of the state’s politics. Trade should be open and unregulated, following liberalism except where the first conditions are violated. This policy promotes equality and progression and should be followed by the United States.

~~~~~~

School: Signature School

Class:Grade: 12th Grade European History (Team 1)

Teacher: Attilia Gogel

Class Statement: In terms of free trade, the U.S. must acknowledge that the world is economically interdependent. Therefore, the United States must play a leadership role in organizing an international system of cooperation. The United States must build ahealthy balance between maintaining peace and order and not infringing upon the international right of others to uphold their own historically founded governmental systems and ways of life. The United States must also be willing to lend its power and support to institutions such as the United Nations in order to ensure a more internationally-recognized, peaceful world and work cooperatively on issues such as the faltering economy and the environment.

We should encourage education concerning environmental issues to involve individuals in the prevention of environmental problems. We should also provide funding for research into technology that allows for cleaner cars, factories, etc. On an international level, we should work with the UN and other nations to clean up existing environmental problems and to prevent future problems from occurring.

Immigration laws that allow individuals to enter the United States in a timely fashion, while not being financially out-of-reach for the persons in question, should be enacted. Upon entry to the United States, immigrants should have access to a variety of social programs topics. In addition, the United States should work to help decrease global poverty and improve the living conditions of the world's poor. While immediate relatives to US citizens or residents make up the majority of immigrants, a concentrated effort should be made in the area of political refugees and asylum-seekers.

We should encourage action via diplomatic channels to promote human rights, equality of opportunity, and freedom of choice. The United States must accept that, though it is a super-power, it cannot achieve real change without the cooperation of the global community. The US must abandon efforts to implant its style of democracy in other parts of the world, particularly the Middle East. The focus should be redirected to supporting the political environment each people choose for themselves.

Wars are being started and countries are being invaded because of the threat that they may or may not have nuclear weapons, the best example being the War in Iraq. We believe that instead of asking who should and shouldn't be in possession of nuclear weapons, we should initiate policies of cooperation with all nations to eliminate nuclear threats world wide, including those from the United States.

~~~~~~

School: Silver Creek High School

Class: Class Statement #4 - Team 1

Teacher: Neal

Class Statement: America’s changing role in the world has caused certain issues to surface. We must learn to face these issues as a nation in order to move forward in the future. The students of Silver Creek high School have decided the important issues we face are as follows: the state of the economy, immigration, and environment.

We focus the most attention on the issue of our economy. In our community we see the affects of the current economic recession. We feel the burden of the higher gas prices as well as rising food prices. Coupled with this, job out sourcing is hurting the economy. It is causing the gap between the wealthy and the lower income to grow and shrinking the middle class. The majority of the parents in our community work outside of our town. Most recently the Colgate plant shut down, which caused a great number of job losses. The Ford plant downsized their payroll significantly with more to come and now the GE Company is suffering due to over production.

Along with the economy, immigration works hand in hand with the financial burden felt by our community. While America was founded by immigrants, illegal immigrants are posing a major problem. Some illegal immigrants are not following guidelines laid out for them by social service programs. Illegal immigrants in our community are not receiving the better way of life they hoped for. They are being coerced into living in poor conditions with little pay. We see this unfortunate consequence of illegal immigration in the slums of a small neighboring town.

The environment is global issue that we face as a community. We share this earth and have responsibility to protect it. The irreversible effects of global warming are posing a threat to our community. It is essential that we take action to reduce carbon emissions and promote the production of green technology. Our communities, as well as others in the surrounding area are faced with the problem of poor air quality because we are situated near a large metropolitan.

These issues must be faced as a community in order to better our lives. In order to solve these problems on a global scale, they must be dealt with from the grassroots. Our community is interested in making this world a better and healthier place to live.

~~~~~~

School: Silver Creek High School

Class: Class Statement #5 - Team 2

Teacher: Neal

Class Statement: As presiding students of Silver Creek high School, we have been studying different aspects of global issues. These issues include: terrorism, economy, environment, nuclear proliferation, and immigration. While we feel that all of these current issues are of great importance, the ones that effect are community the most are economy, immigration, and environment. The sense of community and stability in Sellersburg can easily be disrupted as the flaws of the world are highlighted through all of our global policies.

Although our economy is considered to be substantially low in America, we are in agreement America is still ranked amongst the highest in the global community. Many external issues that are becoming an ever-looming threat are slowly deterioration our economic stability. With this lack of economic security we have slowly slipped into a recession. This recession has caused turmoil and angst amongst the people and their government. In order to regain the trust that should be unprecedented in a democratic institution, we need to stabilize the middle class economy considering they are our largest group.

In order to maintain a more stable economy, we feel immigration must be organized and maintained in a more controlled fashion, especially illegal immigration. Immigration can be partially to blame for a booming economy to slowly deteriorate. America has always been known as “The Land of Opportunity”. We see no reason now why we should deny access to immigrants. With this belief, we do feel a need to regulate the illegal immigration numbers in a more organized manner. By doing this, we can stabilize weaker economies in American states which are in economic unrest. Due to the illegal aliens, the government is losing money on certain immigrants who are not paying their taxes. Equal opportunity will be offered if we can first make them legalized citizens of the country.
Another problem in our economy is our ever present dependence on foreign oil. By looking for every in other sources found closer to home, we can provide more jobs for Americans, and we would eliminate the amount of pollution being jettisoned into the atmosphere each day.

It is the indubitable right of all peoples to improve the way in which they live. It is their right to happiness and greater meaning. Happiness can also be found through a sense of community as well. We feel by improving these situations, the lives of everyone in our small town will be greatly improved.

~~~~~~

School: West Lafayette High School

Class: International Relations

Teacher: Mr. Levy

What specific international issues did your class discuss? We discussed domestic and global security, the problems with immigration, the future of the environment, and the United States’ economy.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they? We agreed that arms control and arsenal reduction were important, as well as addressing the root causes of terrorism, increasing foreign aid to other countries, and improving our economy.

Class Statement: The United States must take a leading role in the future of the world. That is not to say that the U.S. will dominate just because we can; on the contrary, the role of the U.S. is to take the lead in order to aid the entire international community. We will use our own values, namely the protection of human rights and global security, as a guide in addressing specific global issues such as terrorism, the environment, and the economy. Most importantly, we will seek international cooperation instead of domination as a single superpower. The U.S. can improve its own economy and security in the long term by helping the rest of the world improve their situation.

Terrorism is a vital issue, but it is not something that can be vanquished through military force or economic sanctions. The US, with international support, should help the rest of the world advance their welfare in the most fundamental terms of nutrition, literacy, health and employment in order to find a long-term solution. With world support, the United States can begin to address the underlying causes of terrorism and thus deflect some of the criticism towards the U.S. in the process.

Most closely linked to terrorism would be our stance on nuclear proliferation. Even though nuclear weapons may be used as deterrence from war, the thousands of nuclear arms are no longer necessary. We should disarm our own stockpile while becoming a leader in negotiations through international efforts to dismantle and deter others.

The U.S. economy has been struggling recently with the decline of the dollar. The U.S. should improve its economic situation by encouraging free and fair trade in the world. We should encourage our trading partners to improve working conditions, using economic rewards for those countries that do effectively improve conditions for their workers. This will benefit in the long run, and will boost the economies of our trading partners while protecting the human rights that the U.S. values.

The U.S. needs to protect its own economy, and one way to do so would be to reduce the burden immigrants put on our economy. But instead of cutting off immigration in a way that would alienate others, the U.S. can instead address and improve people’s situation at home so that there is no longer a need for them to emigrate.

Finally, the state of the environment is clearly a global issue as well as a domestic one. The U.S. should reward countries that are actively pursuing environmentally friendly technology and actions. The U.S. should set the example for reducing environmental degradation by investing in research and development of environmental technologies. We will boost our economy and others with a new international market. The U.S. needs to be a leader in innovation of green technologies that will help us compete along with others, all working towards the common goal of a better future for our planet.
The role of the U.S. in the world is to address its own interests together with the world as a whole, through international cooperation and generosity. This means addressing our security as well as that of the whole world through arms control and reduction, as well as addressing the root causes of terrorism. We can improve our own economy if we reduce immigration, in a way that would improve people’s situation at home so that there would no longer be a need for them to emigrate to the United States. Finally, the U.S. needs to be a leader in innovation of green technologies that will help our economy as we compete along with others, all working towards the common goal of a better future for our planet.

~~~~~~

School: West Lafayette High School

Class: International Relations

Teacher: Mr. Levy

What specific international issues did your class discuss?
We discussed domestic and global security, immigration issues, environmental damage, and the U.S. economy.

Are there issues that you agreed are important? If so, what are they?
We agreed that arms control and nuclear proliferation were important, as well as terrorism, increasing foreign aid to other countries, and improving our economy.

Class Statement: The United States faces many challenges in the 21st Century: proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, unequal distribution of wealth, environmental degradation, immigration, ethnic and religious conflict. Such problems cannot be resolved by military force, nor by one country alone; they demand patient, coordinated global effort under the leadership of the United States.
Terrorism it is not something that can be vanquished through military force or economic sanctions. The U.S. must use its economic and moral strength to lead other nations in a coordinated campaign to address the root causes of terrorism and to cut back its resources. We should help underdeveloped countries advance their welfare in the most fundamental terms of nutrition, literacy, health and employment in order to find a long-term solution.

Nuclear weapons are the only weapons that could actually destroy the United States, and their existence and proliferation threaten US security. Weaker states may think of nuclear weapons as an equalizer, giving them the ability to effectively neutralize the forces of a threatening nuclear weapons state. The US must actively support the Nuclear Non-Proliferation agreements, by disarming our own stockpile and becoming a leader in international efforts for others to follow suit.

The U.S. should improve its economic situation by encouraging free and fair trade in the world. We should encourage our trading partners to improve working conditions, using financial rewards for those countries that effectively improve conditions for their workers. In the long run, this will boost the economies of our trading partners while promoting the human rights.

U.S. Border security and immigration must be addressed with care. The United States must tighten down on border security to stop illegal crossings, as well as improve conditions in other countries to reduce emigration to the U.S. Yet we must also recognize that foreign workers are vital to our economy. The U.S. should reform the immigration process to better facilitate the integration of legal immigrants.

Environmental degradation is an increasing problem that needs to be addressed. The U.S. should set an example by investing in research and development of environmental technologies will help us compete along with others. By doing this we can boost our economy and others with a new international market, all while working towards the common goal of a better future for our planet.
Finally, we must also recognize that in international relations, as in other aspects of life, there may be problems for which there are no immediate solutions … At times, we may have to live with an imperfect, disorderly world.