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Background and Context
These educational resources will help students develop a thorough understanding of Foreign Policy and make connections between historical events, current conversations, and current policy proposals surrounding the issue. This section includes all of the context and content previously included in Close Up’s public policy chapters.
Current Issue Debates
Current Issue Debates are framed by a central question and followed by historical context, an overview of both sides of the topic, and discussion questions to facilitate deliberation in the classroom.
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Available for Middle & High School
Videos from Policy Makers
Brought to you by ASP HOMEROOM, through a collaboration between Close Up Foundation and A Starting Point, these supplemental videos are an introduction to policy areas that provide an opportunity for students to hear different perspectives directly from lawmakers.
Congressmen Jim Himes (D-CT) & Chris Stewart (R-UT) June 16, 2021
Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) & Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) March 31, 2021
Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D-FL) & Congressman Michael Waltz (R-FL) May 7, 2021
These ready-to-use lesson plans can be utilized in conjunction with any of our resources to enhance the quality of student discourse in the classroom. Our supplemental Civic Readiness Guide provides a recommended lesson plan sequence for using our Current Issues resources.

Post | January 7, 2026
On January 3, 2026, U.S. military forces conducted overnight strikes in Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. President Donald Trump announced the operation from Mar-a-Lago, declaring that the United States would “run” Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.” […]

Post | October 23, 2025
After nearly two years of devastating war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas have reached a new ceasefire agreement that many hope could mark a turning point. Under the deal, which President Donald Trump engaged in personal diplomacy and negotiations to secure, Hamas has released all remaining living Israeli hostages while Israel has freed more than […]

Post | June 3, 2025
In May 2024, Lai Ching-te was sworn in as the new president of Taiwan. Central to his campaign was rejecting any political claims to the island by mainland China (officially the People’s Republic of China or PRC) and establishing a fully independent Taiwan.1 This position is in clear opposition to the PRC’s “One China” principle, […]

Post | February 24, 2025
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that implemented a 90-day freeze on aid to other countries. Since then, the offices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have closed, staff have been furloughed, and there have been more funding freezes. The formerly semi-autonomous agency is now […]

Post | May 28, 2024
Karim Khan, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced on May 20 that he has applied for arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity over the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. A panel of judges will now consider Khan’s application […]

Post | January 9, 2024
In the weeks since the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, Israel has conducted a military campaign with the stated goal of eradicating Hamas as both a military and governing organization.1 The death toll in Gaza currently stands at around 22,000 Palestinians and 170 Israeli soldiers, in addition to the more than 1,200 people Hamas […]

Post | November 29, 2023
As part of our ongoing series centered on the Israel-Hamas conflict, this post will review the U.S. foreign policy decisions. Part 1 of the series focused on the effects of the conflict within U.S. borders and the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia. To complete the series, Part 3 in the coming week will review how […]

Post | November 21, 2023
This is the first in a series of posts that will explore complex domestic policy, foreign policy, and global issues connected to the Israel-Hamas conflict. In the United States, there has been significant discussion and debate about what to do, both in terms of foreign policy and on the domestic front. In this series, we […]