Assignment : Foreign Policy Brief
Assume you are a foreign policy analyst/advisor to the US president and you are asked to write a foreign policy brief on a current foreign policy issue or problem. In your brief you should:
(A) Provide a historical background /analysis explaining the nature, causes and effects of the situation,
(B) provide an assessment of the stakes involved (interests, values, domestic actors, international actors, etc.), and
(C) your policy recommendations regarding the situation (what should be done and why).
Make sure you include alternative options and possible outcomes for each alternative before you select a policy option. Try to be as specific as possible.
Style and Format
The Paper should be typed, double spaced, and approximately 6 pages long (MLA, APA or any other formal style is fine). All source material must be cited in a proper standard citation form (see, some major online sources on citation styles and writing tips, below and on Blackboard).
Latest Due Date: Last date of class
A good place to start your research
Suggested Topics
Should "Nation-building" and the promotion of democracy be a major component of U.S. foreign policy?
What should the US strategy be in Iraq?
What role for the United Nations in U.S. foreign policy?
What to do with the Iranian nuclear ambitions?
What to do with the Korean Nuclear weapons?
How Should the US deal with the rise of China as an international actor?
How should the US pursue the War on Terror?
Some major online sources on citation styles and writing tips
1. Purdue University's Online Writing Lab
2. Research and Documentation Online, by Diana Hacker
Also see the main index page for her products
3. Columbia Guide to Online Style
4. Dr. Grammar, by Professor James HiDuke, formerly of the Department of English, University of Northern Iowa.