AP Politics Final

Mexico: Country Case Study
AP Comparative Government and Politics
Fall 2011 Final Exam

Your group will create a presentation of 20 minutes (no longer) that teaches the class about one aspect of Mexico’s government and politics. Your presentation may consist of PowerPoint, video, lecture, interactive simulation, music, performance, or any other media you clear with Ms. Fugit.

1. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power (Alex, Felix, Rut, Alejandro)
a. What is the source of the government’s legitimacy?
b. What is the degree of the government’s legitimacy? (STUPID G) Elaborate at length.
c. What is the role of the government in the state’s economy?
d. Describe the state’s political culture.
e. Define camarillas and explain how their role continues to change in Mexico.

2. Political Institutions (Eddie, Marysol, Harold, Bianca)
a. Describe the structure and workings of the branches of government: executive, legislative, and judiciary.
b. Describe the ways the branches of government interact. How are the branches separated or fused?
c. Identify whether the state uses a parliamentary or a presidential system.
d. Describe the state’s electoral process and its process for recruiting political elites.
e. Describe the country’s party system and describe the prominent political parties.
f. Describe the state’s bureaucracy and its positive and negative effects.

3. Citizens, Society, and the State (Jhossept, Will, Stephanie, Gao)
a. Describe significant cleavages present in the state. Identify the type of cleavage, its roots, and its effects on citizens. Describe any formal policy created to assist the citizens affected by the cleavage.
b. Describe the role of civil society in the state: To what degree can citizens protest, strike, and express dissent? How free are the press and the media?
c. Identify and describe contemporary social movements. They could be environmental, antiglobalization, civil rights related, or otherwise.

4. Political and Economic Change (Christina, Jared, Julio, Kelly)
a. Describe Mexico’s political shifts throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Describe revolutions, coups, or other important events.
b. Describe how standards of living, income gaps, educational opportunities, and access to social services have changed over the past 100 years.
c. Describe corruption in the state and identify the sources of this corruption. Explain how corruption affects the legitimacy of the state and the standard of living of the citizens.
d. Describe how NAFTA has affected the state.

5. Public Policy (Lorenzo, Mande, Gina)
a. Explain how domestic policy is written in the state.
b. Explain how increased economic privatization has affected domestic policy in the state.
c. Describe significant interest groups and their influence.
d. Describe significant policy changes regarding civil rights, labor, or the environment.

To further study the relationship between GDP and indicators of development, use cia.gov to compare our six countries: Russia, China, United Kingdom, Iran, Mexico, and Nigeria.

Go to the site where you can create your own graph here. Open each CIA Factbook in a different tab.

Choose to create an XY graph. Make a bubble graph. Create a graph with the per capita GDP represented in the X axis and any other significant statistic represented in the Y axis. Examples of significant statistics could be birth rate, death rate, or literacy rate, but there are many others.

In "size," enter the country's population. In "Line Width," choose "No line." Email me your graph, then respond to these questions in a blog comment:

1. Is there a positive or negative correlation between per capita income and your other significant statistic?
2. Is country population relevant or important in this graph? If so, how?
3. Think about your answer to question one. What conclusions can you draw about this?
4. According to this graph, which of our countries is the most developed? Explain.
5. According to this graph, which of our countries is least developed? Explain.
6. Do you think your graph is a fair and reasonable assessment of levels of development? Explain.

Iran's Green Revolution

Go to this link to get the information for your assignment.

Water Scarcity Products: Period 4

Post a summary of your group's water scarcity solution. Be as detailed as possible, and include information about potential challenges and how you will solve them. Make sure the names of all group members are in the post.

You must also respond to two other groups' solutions with critique. Write their group members' names at the top, write your critique or challenge you foresee, and write your names at the bottom.

New York Times Editorial on Torture

All Model UN 1 students who were part of our debate on torture should read this New York Times editorial.

The Torture Apologists

The killing of Osama bin Laden provoked a host of reactions from Americans: celebration, triumph, relief, closure and renewed grief. One reaction, however, was both cynical and disturbing: crowing by the apologists and practitioners of torture that Bin Laden’s death vindicated their immoral and illegal behavior after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Jose Rodriguez Jr. was the leader of counterterrorism for the C.I.A. from 2002-2005 when Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other Al Qaeda leaders were captured. He told Time magazine that the recent events show that President Obama should not have banned so-called enhanced interrogation techniques. (Mr. Rodriguez, you may remember, ordered the destruction of interrogation videos.)

John Yoo, the former Bush Justice Department lawyer who twisted the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions into an unrecognizable mess to excuse torture, wrote in The Wall Street Journal that the killing of Bin Laden proved that waterboarding and other abuses were proper. Donald Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, said at first that no coerced evidence played a role in tracking down Bin Laden, but by Tuesday he was reciting the talking points about the virtues of prisoner abuse.

There is no final answer to whether any of the prisoners tortured in President George W. Bush’s illegal camps gave up information that eventually proved useful in finding Bin Laden. A detailed account in The Times on Wednesday by Scott Shane and Charlie Savage concluded that torture “played a small role at most” in the years and years of painstaking intelligence and detective work that led a Navy Seals team to Bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan.

That squares with the frequent testimony over the past decade from many other interrogators and officials. They have said repeatedly, and said again this week, that the best information came from prisoners who were not tortured. The Times article said Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who was waterboarded 183 times, fed false information to his captors during torture.

Even if it were true that some tidbit was blurted out by a prisoner while being tormented by C.I.A. interrogators, that does not remotely justify Mr. Bush’s decision to violate the law and any acceptable moral standard.

This was not the “ticking time bomb” scenario that Bush-era officials often invoked to rationalize abusive interrogations. If, as Representative Peter King, the Long Island Republican, said, information from abused prisoners “directly led” to the redoubt, why didn’t the Bush administration follow that trail years ago?

There are many arguments against torture. It is immoral and illegal and counterproductive. The Bush administration’s abuses — and ends justify the means arguments — did huge damage to this country’s standing and gave its enemies succor and comfort. If that isn’t enough, there is also the pragmatic argument that most experienced interrogators think that the same information, or better, can be obtained through legal and humane means.

MUN 4: Final Exam Reflection

Read the Asia Society Graduate Portfolio System rubrics for English Language Arts and Social Studies. In regard to your work in Model UN over the past 3-4 years, highlight where you would rate yourself for each criterion. Your ratings can be based on work in class, at simulations, mentoring younger MUN students, or any other contributions you have made to the Model UN program at IHSS.

After rating yourself on those two rubrics, you will choose an overall rating for yourself: Emerging, Developing, Proficient, or Advanced. You will argue your rating in a two page essay, using specific examples to prove your rating. To refresh your memory, some of your projects this year were:

-Haiti emergency relief simulation
-Nuclear energy simulation
-North Korea/South Korea conflict resolution (semester 1 final)
-MUNSA
-Global Classrooms
-HAMUN
-Terrorist vs. Freedom Fighter tribunal
-Terry Jones Mock Trial
-Teacher Assistant for an MUN class (if applicable)
-THE BLOG!!!!!

Those are just a few examples, and you can also use examples from previous years of Model UN.

In your concluding paragraph, use the language from the Global Leadership Performance Outcomes to summarize how Model UN has helped you develop into an informed global leader.

Torture and Interrogation

Read this article about how torture may have been used in some interrogations that led us to find Osama bin Laden. Think back on our discussion from last class, and write about whether you support these kinds of interrogation methods based on what you read. Be sure to justify your answer with examples.

Obituaries: Osama bin Laden

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2008/09/osama-bin-laden.html

Read the obituaries for Osama bin Laden from Al Jazeera English and the New York Times (read the first page and skim the rest of the New York Times’ obit for the sake of time if you have to). Respond to all the following questions.

1. How does the focus of Al Jazeera’s obituary differ from the focus of the New York Times’ obituary? In other words, what topic does each obituary spend the most time talking about?

2. Do you feel that either of the obituaries are biased? If so, do they take a positive or negative bias toward Osama bin Laden?

3. The New York Times’ obituary argues that bin Laden “railed against globalization, even as his agents in Europe and North America took advantage of a globalized world to carry out their attacks, insinuating themselves into the very Western culture he despised.” Does al Qaeda’s use of the Western world’s technology and other systems undermine Al Qaeda’s mission? Explain.

4. Which obituary is more flattering? Use at least two specific examples to support your answer.

5. From what you see in these two examples, is there a formula to obituary writing? What is the basic structure?

Osama bin Laden Questions

For your post, write the question you will research about Osama bin Laden. Write your predicted answer below. Then post a link to one site that gives you additional information to help answer your question, and explain what it tells you.

Taliban Prison Escape

Comment on the current event for today. Suggested comments:

-Write about what you find most interesting or shocking about this story.
-Write a few questions you have about how they did it.
-Write about whether you believe prison guards were involved in the plans, and explain why.
-Write about the consequences this will have on our war in Afghanistan.

Write at least 5 sentences.

On the Media: Extra Credit (MUN 3/4)

Listen to any of the following segments of the NPR program "On the Media":

"The Tension in Free Expression"
"The First Amendment in the Courts"
"The Media Blackout of Terry Jones"

For each segment you listen to, explain how this segment is relevant to our mock trial of Terry Jones. You will receive 10 bonus points for each post.

In preparation of Math Taks

Record your answers to the following problems in your journal books.


1.  The manager of a day-care center wants to
serve pint of milk to each of the 48 children
at the center each day. She can buy the milk
in -pint cartons for $0.35 each, or she can
buy 1-gallon containers of milk for $3.26 each.
Which of these best represents how much the
manager will save on milk each day if she
buys the milk in 1-gallon containers?

F $9.78
G $2.76
H $7.02
J $2.91


2.  Martina designed a painting for art class, as
shown in the drawing below. Her design
contains 4 circles on a square canvas. Each
circle has a radius of 6 inches. The circles
touch the edges of the canvas and each other,
as shown below.
The shaded section of Martina’s design will be
painted black. Which is closest to the area
that will be painted black?
A 124 in.2
B 463 in.2
C 308 in.2
D 116 in.2

3. 27 Which of the following problems can be solved
using the equation 5x + 35 = 50?
A Tamara borrowed $50 from a friend. The
friend charged her 5% simple interest per
month for x months. If Tamara pays her
friend $5 per month, after how many
months will Tamara owe her friend $35?

B It took Kyla 5 hours to ride her bike
35 miles. If Kyla continued riding at this
same rate, how many hours, x, would it
take her to ride 50 miles?

C Akashi made x deposits of $5 each into his
bank account. Then he withdrew $35. If
he had $50 in his account, how many
deposits did he make?

D Marcus purchased a new shirt for $35 and
5 pairs of socks for x dollars a pair.
Marcus spent a total of $50. How much
did each pair of socks cost?

"It's What I Do:" Women in Journalism

Read Lynsey Addario’s essay “It’s What I Do” here. Respond to all the questions below in your post.

1. Many people criticize Addario and other female journalists for putting themselves in danger in war zones, especially in the Muslim world. List at least three of the arguments Addario makes to defend her profession.

2. Addario says, “People think photography is about photographing. To me, it’s about relationships.” Explain why building relationships is part of being a good photographer or journalist.

3. What types of stories might female journalists have more success covering than male journalists? Explain.

4. Addario explains that even though she feels accepted by her peers, she still thinks photography can be a “chauvinistic profession.” Explain what she means by this.

5. In the final paragraphs, Addario describes the reasons working as a female photographer is difficult. Summarize these reasons, and tell us whether you think she’s making the right decision by continuing to work in war zones, and why.

6. Choose one of the photos featured in the article. Write about what the photo reveals and the feelings it evokes.

Congratulations on Global Classrooms!

Congratulations to everyone who attended the Global Classrooms simulation yesterday! You did an amazing job and we are so proud of you.

History lives on!

Newly found documents shed light on MLK's convicted killer

By Vivian Kuo, CNN

March 31, 2011 10:13 a.m. EDT

Box of MLK assassination info found

 

Editor's note: Don't miss "CNN Presents: Eyewitness to Murder -- The King Assassination" at 7 p.m. ET Sunday. CNN's Soledad O'Brien retraces the steps of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., James Earl Ray, the FBI and Memphis police, and she explores alternative scenarios of who may have been responsible for King's death.

(CNN) -- Recently discovered photos and letters are giving an inside look at the man convicted of assassinating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
On April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed by a sniper as he stood on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was trying to mediate a garbage workers' strike.
The celebrated civil rights leader's death led to race riots in dozens of cities and mourning around the world.
American James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the murder of the civil rights leader and was sentenced to 99 years in prison in March 1969. Ray died in 1998.
Little was known of Ray's state of mind in his months in jail before his guilty plea -- until Shelby County, Tennessee, officials came across a bundle of documents about five years ago in a local archival building.
"In 2005, we started going through the Shelby County archives -- going through organizing, identifying things," Tom Leatherwood, Shelby County register of deeds, said Wednesday. "But then in 2006 or 2007, we found this bundle. I said well, what is it? Let's see. And so we picked it up, turned it over, and there it was."

James Earl Ray, here in a 1968 jail booking photo, later recanted killing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

That bundle -- an unassuming, mustard-yellow folder with tape crisscrossing it -- had inscribed on it in black marker, "Public Defender James E. Ray. Do Not Destroy."
Inside was a wealth of information, including photos of the newly incarcerated accused murderer, as well as letters to family and his attorney during the eight months he was detained at the Shelby County jail.
Since then, Leatherwood said, he has been working with the county attorney to try to get those documents released to the public.
"There's no game-changer here, but for history lovers, there's some really great information," Leatherwood said.
Black-and-white photos show Ray being patted down by law enforcement; others show him being ushered into his jail cell. One photo shows him being escorted out of a vehicle by then-Sheriff Bill Morris and surrounded by a phalanx of police, apparently on the night he arrived in Memphis after his extradition from England, where he was captured.
Letters and Christmas cards exchanged between Ray and his family indicate a close relationship. "Take it easy," was a frequent sign-off from Ray to his brother and sister.
Ray asked his sister to visit two months after his capture by police. "Bring enough to stay a couple of days," his note reads. "I can explain everything when I see them."
Another letter, sent to Ray's brother Jerry just a month before he pleaded guilty, read: "If you have anything to say about case or anything else don't write it wait until I see you or visit."
Ray also made sure whatever financial gains his story might produce for future generations would be passed on to his brother, Jerry.

We found this bundle. I said well, what is it? Let's see. And so we picked it up, turned it over, and there it was.
--Tom Leatherwood, Shelby County register of deeds

"I hereby leave the property belonging to me at the time of my death, being any rights to book royalties, movie royalties and rights and rights to any other monetary compensation whether literary or otherwise," he wrote by hand in his last will and testament.
Also included in the document release are photos of Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted killer of Robert F. Kennedy. The sheriff had contacted law enforcement in California to gain knowledge on how they managed security around Sirhan.
"(Morris) knew he had a potentially explosive situation here, so he reached out to them for advice on how to handle a high-risk, high-profile inmate," Leatherwood said.
After his sentencing, Ray recanted and asked to be tried on an innocent plea, but was rebuffed by the courts. Forensic tests were conducted in 1997 on a hunting rifle recovered near the scene of the assassination, but the results were inconclusive.
After years of fighting to get his name cleared, Ray spent his last days in a coma at a Nashville hospital and died of liver failure in 1998.
Monday marks the 43rd anniversary of King's death.

Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Weapons

With a partner or by yourself, read all the parts of this graphic. Respond with one posting on the blog, and put the names of you and your partner at the bottom.

Why does this feature argue that signing the non-proliferation treaty is ironically a smart step toward getting nuclear weapons?

What are the advantages and disadvantages to using uranium or plutonium to create a bomb?

If you were a rogue nation seeking a nuclear weapons program, which would you choose and why?

Why isn’t a country necessarily dangerous just because it has a nuclear weapon?

Many components of nuclear weapons can be bought on the black market. Name one country that you believe would be a hot spot for illegal nuclear parts trading, and explain why.

The non-proliferation treaty requires nuclear states to “mentor” other nations in developing their peaceful nuclear programs. How has this backfired to defeat the purpose of the treaty?

If you were a nation hoping to secretly start a nuclear program, what would be your strategy?

Research: Safety of Nuclear Power

Find one substantive article or high quality video about the risks and benefits of nuclear power. Post a link to your article or video on this blog so your classmates can access it for their research for the simulation.

If your video is on YouTube or another site requiring a proxy, don't post a link, because it won't work. Tell us which website you used, and tell us the title of the video so we can access it through the proxy.

After posting, view and read the postings of the other members of the class.

Do you agree or disagree with the protestors?

Hundreds protest treatment of alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 21, 2011 8:33 a.m. EDT

Protesters: WikiLeaks suspect a 'hero'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Hundreds of demonstrators protest the treatment of Army private
• 1971 Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg among the protesters
• Ellsberg and retired Army Col. Ann Wright are among dozens arrested

Washington (CNN) -- Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the gates of Quantico Marine Base in Virginia Sunday to protest the treatment of Bradley Manning, who is being held at the base prison on charges that he released classified government documents to the site WikiLeaks.
Among them were Daniel Ellsberg, the 1971 Pentagon Papers leaker and Retired U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright, both of whom were arrested along with at least 31 other protesters, according to rally organizers. See a CNN.com exclusive interview with Ellsberg in which he talks about his kinship with Manning.
The 23-year-old Army private is accused of giving WikiLeaks hundreds of thousands of classified military and State Department documents, and is awaiting a military decision on whether he will face a court-martial.
The protesters marched near the base, carried placards, shouted slogans, chanted "Free Bradley Manning" and left flowers in front of an Iwo Jima monument at the entrance of the base. Supporters of Manning and WikiLeaks also made speeches deploring Manning's alleged treatment and asserting that the dissemination of secret military documents is vital for democracy.

Did Army ignore WikiLeaks warnings?

Secy. Clinton spokesman out

Later police arrested dozens of protesters for apparently blocking an intersection leading to the base. Prince William County police did not provide CNN information about the arrested protesters Sunday night, including what possible charges they might face.
Reports that Manning has been held in near-total isolation and forced to sleep without clothing during his nearly eight-month detention has sparked outrage from human rights and peace activists. The controversy even played a hand in the resignation of now-former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, who reportedly suggested that the Defense Department is mistreating Manning.
Ellsberg told CNN that Crowley "acted honorably and boldly" for uttering the remarks that resulted in Crowley's departure. Crowley called the treatment of Manning at the hands of the military "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
Ellsberg called Manning's detention illegal.
"The president could change this treatment of him. Apparently, (President Barack Obama) has been told by the Defense Department that this is appropriate," Ellsberg said. "That's a terrible commentary on our standards, which means that they feel free to use illegal measures against someone in their custody."
Ellsberg said the Marines holding Bradley should not wait for an order from Obama "to stop disobeying the law."
Ellsberg said his opinion is shared by legal experts across the country.
"As a Marine I am ashamed that the corps is doing this," said Ellsberg, "and I would like to see them stop it."
Sunday evening, the protesters put their grievances in a open letter addressed to Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
In addition to Ellsberg and Wright, the letter is signed by a number of musicians and actors, including Rosanne Cash, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Danny Glover and Viggo Mortensen.
The Obama administration has said repeatedly that Manning is being treated properly.
David House, a friend of Manning's, disputes that. House told CNN that he has visited Manning nine times since the soldier was taken into custody. House said that his friend recently appeared to be in "decline mentally and physically."
House said Manning also has been reluctant during recent visits to discuss his treatment. Manning's attorney has said that, among other things, his client has been put on suicide watch and forced to stand at attention while naked.
Military officials have said Manning has been forced to sleep naked to prevent him from committing suicide.
"There can be no conceivable justification for this type of degrading treatment," the letter from the activists says. "It brings back memories of the abuses committed in Abu Ghraib, which blackened the reputation of America's armed forces," said the letter, referring to an Iraqi prison that was the center of a prisoner abuse scandal.
The letter demands an immediate investigation into the conditions of Manning's detention.
On Sunday, many of the 400 supporters, peace activists and veterans tried to enter an administrative building to deliver a letter to Base Commander Daniel Choike, but were stopped by police.
It was the second straight day of rallies -- and arrests -- for many of the protesters, including those from antiwar groups Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against War and Code Pink, who attended a demonstration in front of the White House on Saturday to mark the eighth anniversary of the war in Iraq.
For Ellsberg, Sunday marked his second arrest for the weekend.

Ellsberg famously leaked thousands of classified documents -- dubbed the Pentagon Papers -- that revealed that top American officials were actively concealing the "unwinnable" reality of the Vietnam War from the public.

What is Terrorism?

Witnesses: Fresh air strikes hit eastern Libyan towns

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 3, 2011 7:17 a.m. EST

Libya: Battle for Brega

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Eastern towns bombed in Libya, witnesses say
• The International Criminal Court will announce an overview of the alleged war crimes
• An Arab League statement rejects foreign intervention
• Plans to investigate Gadhafi are not objective, a government spokesman says

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Two towns in eastern Libya were bombed for a second day Thursday, witnesses said, hours after the government denounced reports of attacks on protesters and military facilities.
Two bombs were dropped on military camps in Ajdabiya, a tribal leader said.
Another bomb fell in al-Brega between the oil facility and the airport Thursday, but there were no injuries or damage, witnesses said.
The attacks come a day after ground and air attacks on al-Brega, which has key oil and natural gas facilities.

Bombing in Libyan oil town

Gadhafi warns against intervention

Should U.S. arm Libyan rebels?

Libyan army reclaims crossing

On Wednesday, aircraft dropped bombs near the town and troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi launched a ground attack, witnesses said. Aircraft also bombed military camps on the outskirts of Ajdabiya on the same day, witnesses said.
While CNN has staff in some cities, the network cannot independently confirm reports for many areas in Libya. CNN has gathered information through telephone interviews with witnesses.
Protesters calling for the ouster of longtime leader Gadhafi have taken to the streets for a third week amid clashes with government forces. He has been in power for nearly 42 years.
"We need tribal intervention, social intervention to help us convince these people to come to the negotiating table," Musa Ibrahim, the government spokesman, told CNN's "AC360."
"This is an armed rebellion, with people going around attacking police stations, army offices, getting a hold of guns and attacking."
The government spokesman said that assertions of military attacks on demonstrators are wrong. The government had supported peaceful protests, he said, but reiterated accusations that al Qaeda supporters have hijacked the movement and are triggering chaos.
"We have captured dozens of these people, we have figures, we have interviews, we are willing and prepared to take these people and show them on international media," the spokesman said.
More than 1,000 people are reported to have been killed and many more injured during the protests, according to the United Nations. Libya's ambassador to the United States has estimated that the death toll was about 2,000.
The International Criminal Court will announce Thursday an overview of the alleged war crimes since the protests started last month.
"Following a preliminary examination of available information, the prosecutor has reached the conclusion that an investigation is warranted," the ICC said in a statement.
Ibrahim slammed plans to investigate the alleged war crimes and said the decision was based on reports without any fact-finding mission into the country.
"The international community's reaction toward what is happening in Libya has not been very honest and transparent,"
he said.
"The Security Council, for example, based its agreement against Libya on reports without any fact-finding mission, without visiting Libya, without allowing Libya to defend itself."

US, allies debate no-fly zone for Libya

Libyan protests: Raw and online

CNN crew witnesses air bombing in Libya

Egyptian refugees escape Libya

RELATED TOPICS

• Libya
• Moammar Gadhafi
• Libyan Politics
• International Criminal Court
• United Nations Security Council

Libya is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, and does not recognize the authority of the international court. But the United Nations Security Council referred the matter to the court, essentially giving it "jurisdiction" over the situation in Libya.
The clashes in Libya have gone on for days, with the bombings in al-Brega on Wednesday happening as Gadhafi addressed his supporters.
News of the bombings could support calls for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent such attacks. The United States has said all options are on the table and is weighing a possible military role, but Arab League officials have also rejected foreign military intervention in Libya.
"We perceive what happened and what is happening is an internal affair that is decided by the people and their governments," the Arab League said in a statement.
Gadhafi spoke with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday about a proposal to bring an international mediation team to Libya, Venezuela's information minister said.
The demonstrations -- which follow protests in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia that ousted those countries' leaders -- have sparked criticism from world leaders.
Nations have scrambled to evacuate scores of citizens as the unrest continues.
The Netherlands defense ministry said Thursday that three Dutch navy personnel were captured by armed men loyal to Gadhafi during an evacuation operation Sunday. The ministry did not release information earlier because of safety reasons.
The capital city of Tripoli remains under Gadhafi's control, though opposition forces have taken control of the eastern city of Benghazi and a number of other cities.

The U.N. refugee agency reported that nearly 150,000 people had crossed Libya's borders into Egypt and Tunisia, and thousands more were arriving hourly at the borders.

Middle Eastern Uprisings: Per Capita Income and Unemployment Comparison

Find CNN's comparison tool for the uprisings in the Middle East here.

Find the online tool for creating your own graph here.

Choose to create an XY graph. Make a bubble graph. Create a graph with the per capita GDP represented in the X axis and the unemployment rate represented in the Y axis. In "size," enter the country's population. In "Line Width," choose "No line." Email me your graph, then respond to these questions in a blog comment:

1. Is there a positive or negative correlation between per capita income and unemployment?
2. Is country population relevant or important in this graph? If so, how? If not, why do you think they included this information?
3. Think about your answer to question one. What conclusions can you draw about this?
4. Seeing as all of these nations are currently experiencing protests and uprisings, and knowing what you know about their per capita wealth and unemployment rates, what solutions can you recommend for quelling the protests?
5. Using unemployment and per capita GDP data, predict another country in the world you believe might experience similar protests in the future.

Synthesis: "A Death in Tehran" and Current Events--MUN 3/4

Today we watched an update on the situation in Bahrain, as well as the Frontline documentary "A Death in Tehran." Combine what you learned from these videos, as well as what you have seen lately in the Middle East, to draw a conclusion.

Police Use Tear Gas on Iranian Protesters

BBC News

Read this article on the BBC website about protests today in Tehran, Iran. Answer these questions:

1. Do you predict the protests in Iran will have results similar to those in Egypt? Why or why not?

2. Check Twitter. Summarize one tweet, posted video, or link to another article--it must be something that wasn't covered in the BBC article.

3. According to our article, "The [Iranian] government says the mass protests were inspired by Iran's 1979 revolution, while the opposition says its 2009 protests encouraged the unrest." Do you think either of them are right? Explain.

4. Do you think preventing Iranians from protesting will make them reduce unrest in Iran, or make it worse? Explain.

Profiles: Multinational Terrorism

Your blog posting will be a summary profile of one of the terrorist groups identified by the National Counterterrorism Center. You can find links to introductory information about these groups here.
Make sure to include:

• The name of the group
• The date established
• The countries or regions where the group primarily operates
• The mission of the group
• Important attacks, conflicts, or events in the group's history
• A brief summary of what your Global Classrooms country's position would be toward the group

Everyone must profile a different group. Let me know when you have selected yours.