Assignment:
In this module, you will complete a final writing assignment of approximately 6 pages (approximately 1,500 words, not including any cover or reference pages). In this final paper, you will summarize your chose country's national security characteristics and practices, and then compare those with the United States. You should draw on coursework and insights across the term to thoroughly compare the national security of these two sovereign nation-states. There are likely to be many differences between the US and your chosen country (e.g., regime type and governing structures/practices; geography; DIME attributes etc.), and you should critically evaluate which ones seem most compelling and explanatory of the differences, if any, between the US and your country. Obviously, the US has many advantages relative to other countries in national power dimensions, like the size and importance of its economy, but you should focus your comparison where it seems most stark and revealing of key differences that illuminate how national security varies across the world.
In your comparative analysis answer the following questions:
• Identify and then explain how your chosen country compares to the United States on the basic attributes/dimensions of national power (i.e., DIME + geography, culture etc.)? What are the key differences and similarities on these core dimensions of power and security?
• How well does your chosen country use its national power dimensions to achieve its national security purposes in comparison with the US? For example, does your country get more out of its diplomatic or economic attributes than does the US, which, arguably, uses more military power than most nation-states to pursue its objectives?
• Compare and contrast the practice of national security in your chosen country and the US. Does your country behave differently than the US, and if so, how does it do so? What explains the difference, if any, in national security practice or decision-making? Might it be cultural, differing governance structures, geography, raw economic or military power etc.?
• Finally, if anything stands out, what national security feature of your chosen country do you wish you saw more of in the United States?
In academic writing, format is as important as content. The format allows you to organize your findings in a logical sequence while promoting clarity. You are required to know the American Psychological Association (APA) rules since this is the required format for all of your writing assignments. You must use proper citations and references in order to identify borrowed material and avoid plagiarism. You can find detailed information on the APA Style in the Excelsior Library.
Please visit the Excelsior College Online Writing Lab (OWL) website for more information on writing your paper.