Your individual assignment is to take any two of the four situations in the group presentations and compare/contrast them, in terms of US policy approach. You are to write a minimum of three, double-spaced pages, not including cover page and references. In your paper, you are to consider:
• Were the groups correct in their interpretation about the US position regarding the situation they were analyzing?
o If they were correct, simply state what their conclusion was and let it go at that. If they were not correct, or if their analysis was incomplete, explain why.
• What are the similarities between the two situations?
• What are the substantive differences between the two situations? Do not write something
overly simplistic, such as, “one took place in the 1970s, the other is taking place now.” If
the difference in time between the two events is important, you must explain how.
• Did the US act differently in one situation than it did in the other situation?
o If the US actions were consistent, explain why it was in the US’ National Strategic Interest to treat the situations similarly.
o If the US actions were different, explain why it was in the US’ National Strategic Interest to treat the situations differently?
Here are things not to do:
• Do not re-do the work of the student groups by analyzing the individual situations, unless
you believe the conclusions the group(s) arrived at are wrong. In other words, unless there is an oversight or an error in one of the presentations, you should not spend time providing a detailed analysis of the individual situations. Simply state the group conclusions in the beginning of your paper. Your paper should concentrate on comparing and contrasting the situations, not reiterating them individually.
• Do not use quotations longer than 30 words. The goal of this assignment is to provide your thoughts and analyses, not someone else’s. 10% of the points will be deducted for every quote you use that exceeds this length requirement.
• Above all, do not cheat. If you plagiarize this paper, get someone else to write it (whether you compensate them or not), or use an Artificial Intelligence engine to write it for you, you will fail the course. Refer to the section on academic integrity in the syllabus for this policy.
o Remember, it is your responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism. If you do not know, a good reference is <<https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and- tools/plagiarism/>> or ask the professor before you turn in the paper.
o Once you turn in the paper, it is understood that you represent everything not cited to be your own original work. “I didn’t know that counted as plagiarism,” will not be accepted as an excuse.
Sources and Citation:
• You must use at least three academic sources which are different from the ones in the
presentations.
• You may use any citation style you choose (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.).
• You must use in-text citations including specific page numbers or paragraph numbers (if
the source does not number pages). Refer to your style guide on how to do this. Failure to cite in-text will result in a loss of 50% of the points on the assignment.
o Remember, when discussing the group presentation(s), you must cite them the same as any other source you use.
• You must have a references page, listing all the sources referenced while writing your paper.
Each student will write a White Paper pertaining to either a strategic adversary of the US or an issue which impacts national security. The assignment will investigate the issue, assess current US security policy, and make recommendations. This assignment may be worked on in class during a class session, outside of class, or possibly both. A detailed rubric will be provided for this assignment.