Guess who’s coming to July 4th

President Obama authorized U.S. embassies around the world to invite Iranian officials to Independence Day parties they host on or around July 4th. Currently the U.S. and Iran have no diplomatic ties, but there is a belief that this may change.

US-Iranian relations have been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, but since the 1990s Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been the locus of tension and a growing concern.

President Obama has signaled that he wants a thaw in relations with Iran as well as Cuba. Questions still remain about how rapprochement with Iran and Cuba will play out and can be achieved.

Teaching with the Constitution
Remind your students to highlight and click on the text of the Constitution to read Linda Monk's commentary.

Ask your students to read Article II section 2 and determine what President Obama must do if he wants to sign a treaty with Iran or Cuba. Ask your students to click on Article II section 2 and read Linda Monk’s commentary on this section of the Constitution. Then ask your students how can the president avoid a conflict with Congress in order to establish relations or reach an agreement with other nations.

Then have your students look at Article VI section 2, the Supremacy Clause. Ask them how would a presidential agreement with another country differ from a treaty ratified by Congress.