Provide+Common+Defense

=provide for the common defense,=

Reading
What words or pictures come to mind when you think of the phrase, "common defense"? Some will think of our military serving in various wars and operations around the world, others think of the police officers that patrol our streets protecting us in our daily lives. No matter what image comes to mind, providing for our common defense is a very large part of our government. An aspect of common defense that probably does not come to mind is foreign policy. Throughout history, there has been a large debate over how involved the United States should be in the affairs of other countries. As the country developed, we chose a policy of isolation, refusing to become involved in the affairs of the rest of the world, but as trade and technology grew our country and it's people have become closely tied to the affairs of the rest of the world. Read through the current foreign policy principles, as detailed by the White House government page.

Watching
Unfortunately, providing for our common defense requires American soldiers to risk their lives. We have all heard the stories of heroism from the current fight against terrorism, one of these soldiers, Staff Sgt. Giunta, from Iowa, became the first living person to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. Watch his story below. media type="custom" key="11904542"

Learning
// Now it is time for your blog post. As you are writing your blog, remember the guidelines you agreed to in our netiquette discussion. Also, do not just answer the questions that are listed below. Use these questions as a guide for your thinking, **do not** just type the question and answer yes or no and // // try to go more in depth. // // You will have to go back and put more depth into your blog if just answer the questions with no extra thoughts. // // Remember this blog is not just for the eyes of your peers in the class, anyone in the world can access your blog and needs to fully understand what you are talking about. This reflection is also how you show me that you completed your reading and watching assignments. Make connections to them in your blog and when you talk about them, create a hyperlink in your blog so your readers can see what you saw. Please see me if you need more guidance in posting a blog. //

After your reading and watching assignment, complete a reflection in your blog using the questions below as a guide.


 * 1) How has the current war affected you and the people around you?
 * 2) What is your opinion on the current principles of foreign affairs, especially in terms of the current War on Terror?
 * 3) What does President Obama choose to focus on in his principles of foreign affairs? Do you agree?
 * 4) Should we revert back to a more isolationism stance in foreign affairs? Is this possible?
 * 5) Does the United States have an obligation to protect and promote the security of all nations in the world?

Doing
While it is important to know our own philosophies in foreign policy and national defense, it is also important to know there are other philosophies that are just as able to sustain a government and protect it's people. For your final project in this unit, you will create a presentation with Moviemaker, Prezi, Google presentation, or any other program of your choosing. You must compare and contrast American foreign policy and national defense with that of another country. First research the details of our own national defense and include what you have learned about foreign policy. Then pick any country from anywhere else in the world that interests you and research their foreign policy and national defense.

Department of Defense Foreign Policy CIA World Fact Book

Required Elements about United States:
 * State Department
 * Defense Department
 * Military Department
 * Foreign Aid
 * Security Alliances
 * United Nations

Once you have completed your presentation, create a blog post describing your project and the link to your presentation.