Assignment: Foreign Policy Memo Writing Guidelines
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to provide students with an opportunity to:
- explore/analyze an issue in international relations in greater detail;
- practice applying theories of international relations to substantive topics in world affairs.
Topic: Students should identify the leader of a major state or organization involved in international relations (e.g. the President of the United States, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister of India, President of Russia, President of Ukraine, Prime Minister of Israel, Secretary General of the United Nations) and a current problem/issue relevant to the identified leader's state or organization.
Some general problems or issues students might consider are as follows:
- War in Syria
- War in Yemen
- Conflict in Ukraine
- Refugee crisis in Europe
- Chinese expansion in the South China Sea/East China Sea
- Trade war between China and the U.S.
- Kashmir territorial dispute: India, Pakistan, and China
- ISIS in Iraq, Libya, Syria, or Somalia
- Boko Haram in Nigeria
- Implementation of the Paris climate deal
- The North Kora nuclear program
- Implementation of the Iran nuclear deal/the Iran nuclear program
While the list above represents some possible topics, students are free to select any current problem or issue in international relations for the Memo.
Format:
• The Foreign Policy Proposal (500-800 words) should be addressed to the identified leader and should incorporate the following components:
1. Standard memo headers (To: From: Date: Re:).
2. One-paragraphs description of the foreign policy problem/issue.
3. List (preferably with additional descriptive detail) of at least three (3) distinct interest of the leader/state/organization with respect to the identified policy problem.
4. List (preferably with additional descriptive detail) of three (3) policy options for addressing the problem/issue and furthering the interest (however defined) of the identified leader/state/organization.
5. Bibliography/Works Cited page with at least five (4) sources the student will use for background and/or empirical evidence in the final version of the Memo, and/or the student used while preparing the proposal.
• The Final Foreign Policy Memo (1500-2000 words; excluding Bibliography/Works Cited) should be addressed to the identified leader and should incorporate the following components:
- Should include standard memo headers (To: From: Date: Re:)
- Overview of the identified problem or issue, including a one-sentence summary of the problem/issue facing the leader/state/organization as well as the proposed solution/recommendation; relevant background and an analysis of the of the causes of the problem, using relevant academic literature and other published sources (e.g. media, IGO, and NGO reports).
- Identification and explanation of the political, security, and/or economic interests at stake for the identified leader/state/organization. In other words, why does the identify problem/issue matter for the relevant leader/state/organization? Let the decision maker know why he or she should address this issue now. Why it is an important issue?
- Discussion of THREE (3) policy options, drawing from theories of international relations and other concepts discussed in the course, and evaluation of the pros, cons, and tradeoffs of these options for furthering the interests of the identified leader/state/organization. This discussion should refer to relevant EMPIRICAL evidence, including analogous historical cases, and discuss the possible obstacles to implementing each of the identified options.
- Recommendation of the BEST (or least-worst) available option for addressing the problem/issue in accordance with the interests of identified leader/state/organization, including an explanation of why the selected option is preferable to others.
- Remember: the recommended option/s must be in the national/organizational interests of the person you are advising, not the interests of the nation of which you are a citizen.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
Attachment:- FP-Memo-Template.rar