Munich Security Conference

The annual Munich Security Conference convened last week. This event brought together leading policymakers from around the world to discuss and exchange views on issues of global security. German Chancellor Angela Merkel set the tone for the conference by calling for a commitment to multilateralism and calling out actions by the United States, Russia, and China.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for Munich Security Conference

Links

“Merkel, Pence clash on Iran deal at Munich conference”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/merkel-pence-clash-iran-deal-munich-conference-190216115506690.html

“Pence calls on European allies to withdraw from Iran deal as Merkel defends decision”
hhttps://www.cnn.com/2019/02/16/politics/mike-pence-munich-european-allies/index.html

“Munich Security Conference reveals a growing rift between U.S. and its allies”
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/16/695438900/munich-security-conference-reveals-a-growing-rift-between-u-s-and-its-allies

“Pence hails ‘remarkable, extraordinary’ Trump tenure in attack on US allies”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/16/trump-presidency-mike-pence-allies

“Iran on the defensive as U.S. presses Europe: ‘We are just against Zionists’”
https://www.worldtribune.com/iran-on-the-defensive-as-u-s-presses-europe-we-are-just-against-zionists/

“Trudy Rubin: Warring democracies: Mike Pence and Angela Merkel display open hostility at Munich Security Conference”
http://www.hastingstribune.com/trudy-rubin-warring-democracies-mike-pence-and-angela-merkel-display/article_1cecd1a1-342a-577f-93a6-2f35f2ca46e1.html

“Editorial: US won’t make progress while it’s stuck in the past”
http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201902/19/WS5c6c071fa3106c65c34ea2f3.html

“Merkel’s go-it-alone legacy”
https://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-legacy-go-it-alone-germany

“Merkel, and the rest of Europe, are through with Trump”
https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article226604754.html

“Opinion: Angela Merkel’s masterful Munich moment”
https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-angela-merkels-masterful-munich-moment/a-47555494

Assessment

• Writing: How would you characterize the speech delivered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the 2019 Munich Security Conference?
• Debate: Angela Merkel was right to chide the United States for moving away from multilateral approaches to international security.
• Poll: Do you believe that the European Union should join the United States in withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal?
• Short Answer: What is the purpose of the Munich Security Conference?

Current events quiz:

1) Which world leader was at the conference representing Germany?

a. Theresa May
b. Angela Merkel
c. Michelle Bachelet
d. Dilma Rousseff

2) Germany wants to _______ the Iran Nuclear Deal, and the United States wants to ________ the Iran Nuclear Deal.

a. stay in; leave
b. leave; stay in
c. stay in; stay in
d. leave, leave

3) The primary goal of the Munich Security conference is to __________.

a. end war and conflict globally
b. organize world trade operations and debate tactics for world economies
c. discuss ways to productively lessen the effects of climate change
d. facilitate conversations among world leaders pertaining to security and defense

4) The US wants to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. (T/F)

5) Russia was represented at the conference, where they discussed their willingness to create global stability despite sanctions imposed by the US.(T/F)

6) Germany’s Angela Merkel is a supporter of President Donald Trump and his national security initiatives. (T/F)

Answers:

1) B

2) A

3) D

4) T

5) T

6) F

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