explore the process of a U.S. foreign policy decision, e.g. How did the Bush Administration make the decision to attack Iraq in 2003?
The format of the paper should be as follows:
Part one introduces the research question, provides the argument/thesis/hypothesis, and lays out the logic of the model of foreign policy analysis used in the paper.
- What is the main question that you would like to examine? I would like to know if the students know and can convey clearly what it is that they are trying to explain.
- The hypothesis should be a concise, clear, and effective summary of the main argument of the paper. Since your paper is designed to respond to a specific question, your hypothesis should contain the succinct but complete answer to that question. If I have to wonder what the thesis is, or where the thesis is, then the thesis is not strong and clear.
- Finally, the assumptions and claims of the model of foreign policy decision-making used in the paper should be laid down clearly and concisely (refer to Decision Point for a summary of each model of foreign policy analysis).
Part two provides the context or a brief history of the case-study explored in the paper.
Part three provides the evidence to support the assumptions and claims of the model used in the paper. Does the evidence (you claim supports your argument), in fact, support your argument?
Part four concludes. In this section you effectively sum up all different elements of the paper from part one to part three.
Sources: You need to draw on at least 10 outside sources to write your paper. I encourage you to use the readings assigned for the class. However, those will not count toward the 10 outside sources.
Grammar: Please proofread your paper before submitting it.
Page limit: The paper should be 5 pages in length, double spaced, font 12, Times New Roman, Standard Margins (1” top and bottom; 1.25’’ left and right). Papers that exceed or are significantly below the page limit will be penalized. Please use page number.
Answer preview
strategic mistake in U.S. foreign policy decision-making (Holland & Hunnicutt, 2021). This sentiment is informed by the aftermath of the attacks and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, which led to over 4,400 military personnel and over 208,000 Iraqi civilians losing their life, and the extensive destruction witnessed in the Country (Holland & Hunnicutt, 2021). The bush administration used two primary reasons to advocate for the war in Iraq. The administration declared that it knew that President Saddam had been successful in his attempts to acquire nuclear weapons (Butt, 2019). Therefore, attacking Iraq was necessary due to the presence of WMDs. The second reason was that President Saddam’s regime posed an imminent threat to the Country’s security due to its links and support for Al-Qaeda (Butt, 2019). Since this group was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, by linking President Saddam’s regime to Al-Qaeda, the administration sought to pin the attacks on President Saddam, thereby justifying a retaliatory attack against his regime.
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