The American Soldier (pages 2-3)
1. TIME's selection honors soldiers for their skills and service, and for defending "not only our freedoms but those barely stirring half a world away."
2. The fight for peace demands skills different from those required on the battlefield: not just courage but constancy; not just strength but subtlety.

"We Got Him" (pages 4-5)
1. Saddam was captured on Saturday, Dec. 13, in a small Iraqi town called Dawr. He was found hiding in a small hole, camouflaged with dirt and bricks.
2. While military experts expect a spike in insurgent activity, they also hope the capture of Saddam will put an end to insurgency among members of Saddam's political party, the Baathists. For the people of Iraq, Saddam's capture is proof that his reign of tyranny is over.

The Capture of Saddam (page 6)
1. In the top cartoon, Uncle Sam is depicted as a fisherman who has succeeded in capturing a large shark labeled Saddam. In the middle cartoon, a skeleton on the killing fields of Iraq observes that Saddam was responsible for the murder and destruction of countless Iraqis. The bottom cartoon shows three men with raised hands: Saddam is in a pose of surrender; the Iraqi people are celebrating; and President Bush is declaring victory in the election of 2004.
2. The creator of the top cartoon uses Uncle Sam fishing as a symbol of the U.S. searching for–and being vulnerable to–insurgents who seek to thwart U.S. plans for democracy in Iraq. The middle cartoon refers to Saddam as a weapon of mass destruction because one of the major stated reasons for going to war with Iraq was the belief that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction, yet none have been found to date. The cartoonist argues that given the number of people killed by Saddam, he himself was a weapon of mass destruction. The bottom cartoon uses Bush raising his hands in a victory sign to suggest that the capture of Saddam will increase the President's chances for re-election.
3. The top cartoon suggests that despite the capture of Saddam, the U.S. remains vulnerable to attacks by Iraqi insurgents. The middle cartoon argues that with Saddam's capture, a mass murderer has been stopped; the bottom cartoon predicts that the capture of Saddam will lead to a second term for President Bush.
4. With Saddam at last captured one mystery is solved, but others remain: What happened to his weapons, his money, his remaining allies? What were his plans?
5. Answers will vary depending on students opinions.

The Insurgent and the Soldier (page 7)
1. Both are fathers who care about their children and their country. Both see their jobs as their duty, and both pray each time they head out on a new mission.
2. Bear insists the Americans "just want to help people," while Ahmed suggests the Americans' purpose is to subjugate Iraq.

If At First You Don't Succeed... (pages 8-9)
1. Under the old plan, the constitution was to have been drafted before any elections took place; it could have taken up to four years for the Iraqis to be self-governing. The new plan calls for elections next May, with the drafting of a new constitution and elections for a permanent government held by the end of 2005.
2. To address the security challenge, the U.S. has gone back to a war footing. Coalition forces have launched attacks on arms dumps and supposed safe houses used by the opposition.

Losing Hearts and Minds (page 10)
1. Experts estimate that about 200 Iraqi noncombatants have been victims of coalition firepower since May 1.
2. The Geneva Conventions is the treaty that governs treatment of soldiers and civilians in wartime.

The Politics of War (page 11)
1. Security concerns were the main reason for keeping Bush's trip a secret; the White House also anticipated that, given no advance notice, the media would treat the visit as unfiltered breaking news.
2. While some Iraqis applauded the visit, others dismissed it as a ploy to win reelection and criticized Bush for not meeting with Iraqis.

A Different Road Map (pages 12-13)
1. Some Israelis and Palestinians objected to the fact that unelected delegates were negotiating when the two sides are essentially at war.
2. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat responded with limited approval, perhaps because he wants to appear to be a man of peace and annoy Sharon. Sharon has condemned the plan.

What Will Make Them Stop? (pages 14-15)
1. Neoconservatives favor deposing the rulers of countries that pose a nuclear threat, while moderates argue that engaging these leaders in dialogue is a more effective way to address the threat.
2. North Korea demanded that the U.S. sign a nonaggression pact renouncing hostile intent as a prerequisite for a nuclear stand-down; Iran built a broad coalition for a moderate response to IAEA demands and agreed to sign the Additional Protocol, which calls for inspections and a suspension of uranium-enrichment activities.

Interpreting Maps and Graphs (page 16)
1. The Green Line marks the division between Israel and Jordan prior to the June 1967 war.
2. While both accept that Jerusalem would be capital to both states, the Geneva accord gives sovereignty over the Temple Mount to the Palestinians.
3. False.
4. Khan Yunis.
5. Four gates would be under complete Palestinian control; one other gate would be under joint control.
6. Under the Geneva plan, Israelis whose homes are within sovereign Palestinian territory must relocate, and these settlements must be handed over to the Palestinians.
7. False.
8. Natanz.
9. The difference in the range of the two missiles is 497 miles.
10. Countries within the range of the Shahab-3 missile include Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, U.A.E., Oman and Yemen. Israel, which has nuclear weapons, is the sworn enemy of Iran, making it the most likely target. If Iran targeted Israel with nuclear weapons, this could prompt Israel to retaliate with nukes and lead to a wider Middle Eastern war.
11. 13
12. The Tapeo Dong-2 missile could deliver a 200-kg. payload to the continental U.S.

"She Is Very Brave" (page 17)
1. Shirin Ebadi is the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
2. Iran's state television ignored the news of Ebadi's award at first, then covered it as the last item on its evening news broadcast. Conservatives saw the award as an attempt by the West to impose political pressure on Iran's government.

The Prize for Peace (page 18)
Answers will vary depending on the recipient selected for research.

How We're Divided Over Bush (page 19)
1. According to the poll, 53% of college graduates are unlikely to vote for Bush, while 44% are likely to support him.
2. 52% of respondents said Bush has been honest.

Operation February (page 20)
1. The Dean campaign expects to win in Iowa and New Hampshire and plans a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz in South Carolina, New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma that will continue until those states hold their primaries on Feb. 3.
2. Conservatives portray Dean as a tax-raising liberal in the tradition of George McGovern and Michael Dukakis.

Spending Spree (page 21)
1. Discretionary spending has increased 27% in the past two years.
2. Rove believes that supporting the prescription-drug benefit helps build the Republican base.

The 5 Meanings of Arnold (page 22)
1. Union members, Latinos and African Americans supported Schwarzenegger in surprising numbers.
2. A rich Republican Congressman, Darrell Issa, spent millions to put the recall on the ballot.

Lights Out (pages 23-25)
1. The blackout occurred after transmission lines near Cleveland failed, causing a cascade that knocked out power at more than 100 plants. Failure to maintain and update the power grid also contributed to the incident.
2. The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) was formed in response to the blackout of 1965, which left 30 million without power throughout New England and in New York City.

No-Call: On Hold (page 25)
1. A federal judge ruled that the no-call registry violates the First Amendment by limiting only commercial speech without placing restrictions on pollsters, charities or politicians.
2. The cartoonist points out that unwanted e-mail messages are as annoying as calls from telemarketers, and suggests that spam should be restricted, as well.

Now Hiring! (page 26-27)
1. As the recession eased, companies propped up profits by cutting back on new hiring, even as the work volume increased.
2. More than 3 million U.S. service-industry jobs, many in information technology, are expected to move offshore in the next 15 years.
3. Unemployment stood at 4.5% in 1998 and fell below 4% in 2000. Since 2000 the jobless rate has risen steadily and reached 6% in 2003.

Running Out of Energy (pages 28-29)
1. Bush wants to begin drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.
2. The best overall fuel economy of 22.1 m.p.g. for U.S.-made vehicles was achieved in 1987—88.

Inside the Food Labs (pages 30-31)
1. Two-thirds of meals eaten at home are either prepared entrees or takeout from restaurants.
2. 65% of Americans are considered obese or overweight.

Current Events In Review (page 32)
1. b 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. c 6. c 7. a 8. d 9. b 10. a 11. E 12. L 13. G 14. J 15. K 16. B 17. I 18. D 19. F 20. H