1. Define moratorium.

2. a) Who is Romano Prodi?
b) What is Mr. Prodi working to accomplish at the U.N.?

3. What is Italy, the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe's (CoE) ultimate goal for the moratorium on the death penalty?

4. a) How many votes does the resolution need to pass?
b) What authority would the resolution have over U.N. member states if passed?

5. What is the difference between the death penalty in the U.S. compared to countries like China and Iran?

6. a) What do opinion polls about the death penalty indicate about U.S. and European citizens' view of the death penalty? (found in paragraphs 16-21)
b) What does this information lead you to conclude?

7. Who is Soeren Kern?
b) Why does Mr. Kern believe that European countries are so strongly opposing the death penalty?

8. Mr. Prodi says that if passed, the resolution "will prove that human beings today are better than they were yesterday also in moral terms." Do you agree? Explain your answer.

9. Whether you support the death penalty or not, should U.S. sovereignty be overridden by U.N. demands (if their attempts to ultimately ban the death penalty were ever realized)? Explain your answer.