Service Learning

As you all know, our blog has been about the “end” of the Iraq war. When it came to a service-learning project, we were a little lost as to what we could do. Seeing as our focus was based more on informing others than preaching a specific side, we did not want to try to sway the opinions of others. We also did not focus on veterans; so going to a veteran’s hospital did not seem appropriate. However, with the recent elections, we found a solution that we were all happy with: we would each write a letter and send it to the Massachusetts and New Hampshire senators. Ross and Katie both live in Massachusetts, while Meghan lives in New Hampshire, so it seemed like a good idea to send our letters to the senators of both states.

In our letters, we all conveyed our desire for the senators to strongly consider the well being of Iraqi citizens when deciding whether to continue the troop withdrawal. We are all on the fence when it comes to the subject – seeing both the positive and negatives of removing the rest of the troops – so we just wanted to voice the fact that we are concerned about what will happen to Iraq once the troops are gone. 

As a conclusion, Katie, Ross, and I reflected on the service-learning experience. 

Katie’s Reflection:

            The service-learning project I think had a greater impact for people (especially in our class) because it informed them of the issues in Iraq.  Many people do not even think of Iraq as a current issue.  But there still are issues.  I believe my group did a job of presenting our information without taking any sides and just informing.  I would like to do another service learning project again.  However, I would not want it to be as rushed and I would want more time to focus on it.  I felt as though if we spent more time on the service learning projects they could have been more thought out all the time.  I believe I would have older elementary school aged children work on a service-learning project, but I would let them choose an interest of their own.  I would never force them to all help out at a soup kitchen.  I would want the service learning to come from within them.  Reason being, because we learn better when we are interested, and if the students are interested in their service learning project they will be more likely to want to work on it.

Meghan’s Reflection:

            I am not sure what effect we had on the greater good, but our group stuck to our initial plan through to the end – we informed others. We voiced our concerns and spread the information we felt the need to spread, and I think we were pretty successful. I would absolutely do another service-learning project, but like Katie, I would like more time. I felt like we could not do anything of substance, because we could not really commit the time to it. If we had been working on the service-learning aspect for an entire semester, I would have loved to go to a veteran’s hospital or something like that, and talk to those who have fought. I would have liked to get their opinions on the matter, and hear their perspective. In the future, I would like to have students do service-learning projects. When I was in high school, we had required community service hours every semester. I remember wishing that I could have an on going community service placement instead of bouncing around, because I wanted to see a project or goal all the way through to the end. I think service learning is an opportunity for this. While I think teacher guidance is important (depending on the age), students could develop a project based on what they found important, and the teachers could assist them in executing their plans. I think service learning is a great opportunity to build citizenship and social consciousness in a child, and it can have a positive effect on the community.

Ross’s Reflection:

            It remains to be seen what impact our project had on the greater good.  With that being said, if all we did was remind a few of our classmates that the situation, which we (the U.S.) created, is still developing and far from over, then I believe we were successful.  Additionally, I believe we have made a small, but important difference by voicing opinions to our respective representatives in Congress, and letting them know that there are citizens out there, who are concerned about the citizens in Iraq and the condition of the country upon our withdrawal from the country. 

           I thought this project worked for well for a learning experience.  It provided us with the freedom of choice to immerse ourselves in a topic that was both of interest, and one that I might not have explored on my own.  I could see myself doing this again and using it in my classroom.  One of the best aspects of this project was the freedom that came along with it; each member of the group was free to explore the aspects of the Iraq War that was of interest to them, but we were also learning about additional aspects through the work of our group members.  If I were to use this with my students in the classroom, I would want to find a better means of service than the letter writing campaign we participated in; I would prefer to have my students take part in an activity that would provide more tangible results.

I can see myself using this in my future classroom, although it will be a little more difficult to tie into an Ancient History.  I thought the project ran smoothly and was very easy for us, as a group to collaborate on.  Furthermore, the project allowed us, the students, to choose a current event issue to explore, which does not often occur in a history class.  The project was a nice break from exploring the distant past; however, a service-learning topic such as our own Iraq War Blog could easily be connected to the Ancient/Modern world in a number of different ways (War, Government, Cause and Effect Relationships, Etc.).  The best reason that I see for using such a project is that service learning is student centered, which I think most of us would agree is the best type of learning.

Thank you for reading!

Find your state’s senator:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

How to contact your senator:

http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/How_to_contact_senators.htm

Critical attributes and discussion questions about the "end" of the Iraq war.

Critical attributes:

• The Iraq war was declared over on August 31, 2010, and President Obama withdrew all but roughly 50,000 “non-combat” soldiers.
• On the home front, Americans are left wondering if the war is really over as loved ones have yet to return home and we still seem to have taxes going toward the cause.
• Iraq has been left in a state of instability and little has been done to progress the government or acquisition of basic necessities – such as clean water – begging the question… were they ready for us to leave Iraq?

Discussion questions:

• Do you still think of the Iraq war as a current event?
• Should the United States remove all remaining troops from Iraq?
• Should the United States by responsible for ensuring the Iraqi people have a working government before they completely withdraw?
• What impact do you think Iran will have on Iraq in the coming months? 

Citation:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/19/AR2010081905642.html

No rest for the weary.

On August 31, 2010, President Obama declared that the Iraq war is over. Our question for this week's post is: How is Iraq holding up? 

It has officially been a month since the troop withdrawal from Iraq, and the affects on Iraq are already becoming apparent. As we noted previously, there is much left to be done in Iraq; reliable sources of fresh water and electricity remain a major problem, and the threat of violence is still ever present. However, these are not the only issues pressing upon Iraq at this time. 

One issue that still remains – even after the war has ended – is the Iraqi government. In March 2010, elections were held in Iraq and caused an uproar. While millions voted, the results were challenged immediately after Ayad Allawi was declared the winner. Many, including the Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, “hurled accusations of fraud.” [1]

As far as America was concerned, the first reaction to the March election was joy that so many citizens were becoming involved. We saw it as a sign of hope for the future of Iraq, but this feeling did not last long. Shortly thereafter, the election set “the stage for a protracted period of political uncertainty and possible violence that could threaten plans to withdraw American troops.” [1] But now that the troops (well, some of them at least) have been withdrawn, has the political climate changed in Iraq?

The simplest answer is no. It has been over six months since the March election and little progress has been made since. As of September 30, 2010, there is no formal government in place in Iraq. The newly elected members of Parliament have yet to come to an agreement as to who should be in charge, and in the six plus months on the job, Parliament has convened for one 19-minute session. According to Timothy Williams and Yasir Ghazi, this six-month period of down-time has drained the energy and optimism from these elected officials and left them with feelings of embarrassment, frustration and anger. Despite their best intentions for the future of Iraq, the current members of Parliament seem apathetic at best. [2]

In addition to the government-centered turmoil is the fact that Iran is right next door. The U.S. “calls Iran a serious threat – one that is boosting efforts to fund, train, and supply and shelter insurgents as the U.S.-led war that began in 2003 winds down.  An anonymous senior intelligence official in Washington expressed concern that Iran will supply anyone, terror group or common criminal with bomb-making parts or other weapons to create the image of instability in Iraq.” [3] Iran has a great deal of influence over Iraq due to their shared border, and a lot of illegal activity occurs between these two countries. Border smuggling is a serious issue, and it includes “anything from honey to tobacco to weapons, [and occurs primarily] in Iraq’s southern marshlands where the winding waterways make it all but impossible to tell where Iran ends and Iraq begins.” The U.S. is urging Iraq to use diplomacy: wanting Iraq to use peace – not firepower – against Iran. [3]

Despite the political turmoil and border issues currently occurring in Iraq, Obama is sticking with his plan. As of his U.N. speeches in late September, the President has “reiterated his commitment to finish withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of next year.” [4]

After seeing what Iraq looks like after a month, we have to ask ourselves a few questions:

• Are we expecting too much too soon from the Iraqi people?
• Are they ready to simultaneously take control of their security forces and government?
• Can a country assume control of security without any formal government?
• To what degree did our sustained seven-year presence politically stunt their governing system?
• If our soldiers stayed in Iraq, would it even help them or would it only serve to increase the tension with Iran?

We are hoping to see the answers to at least some of these questions in upcoming weeks and months, but in the meantime, we only have the best wishes for the people of Iraq.

Citations:

[1] Williams, Timothy. 2010. Allawi Victory in Iraq Sets Up Period of Uncertainty. The New York Times, March 26. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/world/middleeast/27iraq.html

[2] Williams, Timothy. 2010. Iraq Waits for a Government on a Long Vacation. The New York Times, September 26. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/world/middleeast/27baghdad.html?_r=1

[3] Jakes, Lara. 2010. Fortified border: Iraq on guard against Iran. Associated Press, September 26. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100926/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_iran_border

[4] 2010. Obama’s world: In U.N. speeches, he lays out his global agenda. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 24. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10267/1089876-192.stm

Introduction

The idea behind this blog began weeks ago when a sleep deprived Meghan was watching "The Colbert Report." The Iraq war had been declared as "over," and Colbert humorously dropped balloons and announced that "we did it!" Since then, she had not been able to get the idea out of her head - questioning what the end of a war really looked like and wondering if this really was the end. Well, fast forward a couple weeks and here we are. As students in The Arts and Social Studies in Elementary School (a part of the Curriculum Block at Salem State University), we are required to create a topical blog about something happening in the news now, and researching the topic as it develops. Katie and Ross got on board with Meghan's original idea, and now we are getting the ball rolling!

The Iraq War, a broad term we will use to cover all military operations in Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion, is an extremely divisive issue.  The question of “should we be there?” has persisted since the earliest the earliest threat of invasion; however, this is not the topic we will explore with this blog. We are neither Republican nor Democrat in this blog - we just want to analyze the facts and attempt to answer some questions about the "end" of the war in Iraq. 

Let's start with a small timeline.

February 2010: President Obama unveils a new strategy to bring the U.S. troops home from Iraq and increase money and training in Baghdad so it could defend itself.  He also promised to have a high percentage of troops out of Iraq by September.

August 2010: Obama removes all but roughly 50,000 soldiers - saying that the remaining soldiers are not "combat" soldiers. The remaining American troops are serving largely as peacekeepers and advisors to Iraqi security personnel, while the onus of preserving the peace in Iraq is falling largely on the shoulders of the Iraqi people.[1]

August 31, 2010: President Obama declares an end to the “long and costly Iraq War” [2].  President Obama states, “The American combat mission in Iraq has ended.  Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraq people now have lead responsibility as President.”   He also explains that one of the reasons for pulling out of Iraq is because he feels that his central responsibility is taking care of the limping economy on the homefront.

While the decision to remove troops from Iraq is preferable to those of us who know soldiers overseas, this raised many questions for us. Primarily:

• Is the war really over?
  
• Is Iraq ready to be left to its own devices? 
  
• In what state are we leaving Iraq and its people? 

Some believe that Iraq has improved greatly since 2005.  Democracy is beginning to be accepted and security forces have begun taking over for U.S. military personnel, but much is left to be done in this war ravaged country.  The citizens of Iraq, according to Kenneth M. Pollack of the Washington Post, still require (in large numbers) access to fresh water and electricity.  Additionally, there is a very real fear within the country that the nation could succumb to the threat of civil war when the U.S. presence makes its exit from Iraq.  The country is divided over the perceived preparedness (by the government) to assume control of the country; there is a small minority who feel the U.S. should leave immediately, another minority who feel the U.S. should stay forever, while the vast majority are unsure of how long they wish for American troops to remain.[3] 

As you can see, this will not be a simple topic. It includes many viewpoints and factors, but we hope to make some headway in tackling such a difficult subject. We will not be able to declare a "victor" in this war - it is far too soon for that - but we will be able to see what happens in Iraq as the troops begin to leave and this may give us some indication (positive or negative) of the future. 

Citations:
[1] Pollack, Kenneth. 2010. Five myths about the Iraq troop withdrawal. The Washington post, August 22. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/19/AR2010081905642.html.
[2] “Obama declares end to Iraq war, pledging it’s ‘time to turn the page’ and focus on economy”.  Kenneth R Bazinet and Thomas M. Defrank.  August 31, 2010.  New York Daily News.  http://www.nydailynews.com/.../2010-08-31_obama....html
[3] Pollack, Kenneth. 2010. Five myths about the Iraq troop withdrawal. The Washington post, August 22. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/19/AR2010081905642.html.