The first essay concerns the debate over relations between Iran and The United States.

You must describe the debate and defend your thesis--your opinion.

The paper is 3-4 pages, includes a properly formatted title page, and uses APA citation and References.

In this essay, you will:

1. describe the debate over the United States relations to Iran
   
2. state the main arguments for the position that Iran should be attacked
   
3. state the main arguments for the position that Iran should not be attacked
   
4. decide between (2) and (3)
5. present the evidence that helps you decide between (2) or (3)

To begin, read the following articles on the United States and Iran, and watch Obama's interview on YouTube, and then answer the questions that follow.

After Obama Overture, Iran’s Leader Seeks U.S. Apology

Obama interview on Al Arabiya

FACTBOX: Ups and downs in U.S.-Iranian relations


1. Mr. Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the “slogan of change was good, but it could be of two kinds — a fundamental change or a tactical one,” the official IRNA news agency said. It will soon become clear, IRNA quoted the Iranian leader as saying, whether Mr. Obama’s comments were “just a change in tone” (Fathi and Cowell, 2009, para. 6).

Use dictionary.com or another dictionary to find the meaning of "tactical." What is Ahmadinejad's point when he distinguishes between a "fundamental change" and a "tactical one"?

2. Using Google, or another search engine, very briefly identify the following people:

Mohammed Mossadegh

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Alan Dershowitz

Stephen Kinzer

Reuel Marc Gerecht

3. Using Google, briefly explain the following phrases:

axis of evil

Iran Contra Affair

1. Read the four articles and quickly annotate the paragraphs.
   
2. List the main points for each article.
3. Brzezinski and Kinzer prefer a diplomatic approach to Iran; Gerecht and Dershowitz advocate an aggressive, perhaps military, approach. Compare the main points of Brzezinski and Kinzer. Do they make similar points? Try to separate their points into three categories, for example, the effect an invasion of Iran would have on the United States's relations with Muslims around the world. Each of these categories will be the basis of one paragraph in your essay. Do the same for Gerecht and Dershowitz.
4. Plan out your paragraphs. Try to have three for Gerecht and Dershowitz and three for Brzezinski and Kinzer. Each of these paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence that states the main idea of the paragraph--the basic argument the two authors are making. Use paraphrase and quotation and paraphrase with quotation to represent the views of both authors.
   
5. In the last three paragraphs of your essay, you must repeat your thesis and explain your reasoning. In general, you must agree with one side of the debate or the other. State your agreement with one side and explain why you find the arguments on that side more persuasive than the arguments on the other side. The first two paragraphs in this section must begin with a topic sentence and must develop one argument. The final paragraph should sum up your views more generally.
6. Write the introductory paragraph. This paragraph should inform the reader of the topic (getting quickly to the point), briefly describe the debate over United States-Iranian relations, and include your thesis. Remember to provide a transition to your thesis, and to avoid the use of "I."
   

Diplomacy Is the Best Option for American-Iranian Relations

Diplomacy Is Not an Effective Option for Dealing with Iran

The United States Should Attack Iran

The United States Should Not Consider Military Action Against Iran

Meet in 2C15 to review this assignment on Monday, 2/9.
Meet in the computer lab on Wednesday, 2/11.
Meet in 2C15 on Wednesday, 2/18 and Monday, 2/23 for in-class editing. Bring an editing work-sheet.
The essay is due on Wednesday, 2/25.