Learning Activity

August 15, 2003

Debate the Lockerbie bombing settlement from multiple perspectives.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer explores a deal that could allow Libya to compensate victims' families for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in return for a lift of U.N. sanctions on the country.

1. Have students locate Libya on the Holt, Rinehart and Winston World Atlas at http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/world.htm.

2. Then direct student groups to texts and the Web sites below to learn more about the historical relationship between the U.S. and Libya and the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, including the investigation, the accusations, the sanctions placed on Libya, the trial and conviction of the Libyans accused of the bombing and Gadhafi's current proposed deal.

3. Then refer students to the additional Web sites below and have groups discuss the terms of the deal posed by Libya's leader Moammar Gadhafi from a variety of perspectives including Libya, the U.N., the victims' families and the U.S. Pose the following questions to help guide the students' discussion:

• What concerns might each group have prior to striking a deal?

• What questions might each group use to guide their decision of whether or not to accept the deal?

• What might be each group's short- or long-term goals for accepting or rejecting this deal?

• How might each group respond if the deal is accepted or rejected?

4. Have student groups summarize their discussions for the class. Then, as a class, create a list of pros and cons for accepting the terms of this deal from the perspective of each of the groups listed above. Hold a class debate in which students take a stand on whether or not, if they were the U.S., the U.N. or the victims' families, they would accept the terms of the deal.

5. Wrap up the debate by having individual students write letters to the U.S. government stating their personal opinions on whether or not they think the U.S. should accept Libya's proposal. Encourage students to provide justifications for their opinions.

RELATED LINKS

U.S. official: France delaying Lockerbie settlement (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/08/14/un.lockerbie/index.html)

Special Report: Lockerbie Bombing Trial (http://www.cnn.com/LAW/trials.and.cases/case.files/0010/lockerbie/)

United Nations (http://www.un.org)

White House (http://www.whitehouse.gov)

KEYWORDS

• Lockerbie

• redemption

• Pan Am 103

• embargo