CPW4U World Politics Name: Leslie Sexton
STEP 1:TOPIC SELECTION
The selection here is not exclusive, but is offered as
a starting point towards completing the formal argumentative essay.
JUSTIFICATION FOR
TOPIC SELECTION:
TOPIC: Is the
American response to terrorism under the Bush administration both morally
justified and effective?
1. Give two reasons
why you selected this topic.
I selected this topic because terrorism is the most
important security issue facing the world in the early 20th century. As America is the
current hegemonic power, America’s
response to terrorism will have a profound effect on peace throughout the
world. Three years ago, on September 11th,
when two planes stuck the World Trade Center and
another struck the Pentagon, the American foreign policy experienced a dramatic
shift. The Bush administration’s
response to terrorism has been very different than any previous
administrations. I would like to examine
this shift in foreign policy and determine its efficacy, whether it is
justified, and if it will succeed in bringing peace, stability, and lasting
democracy to the Middle East in the
future.
2. Based on your
initial survey of reference material, what are three important themes or issues
pertinent to this topic? Explain the relationship of your topic to World
Politics.
One important issue is the war against terrorism in Afghanistan, where U.S. military
intervention has overthrown the Taliban government which supported Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, and established
a democracy. Another issue
that must be considered is the war in Iraq. This has resulted in the overthrow of a
murderous regime that supported terrorism.
I hope to examine Iraq’s
involvement in the attacks of September 11th. In the cases of both Iraq and Afghanistan, I will
evaluate whether these wars were justified by examining the effectiveness in
the way in which war was carried out and their effectiveness in reducing
terrorism in the Middle East. Another important issue is the establishment
of democracy in countries previously controlled by governments that propagate
terrorism. Democracy is important in
preventing terrorism and improving the situations the citizens of these
impoverished countries plagued by mismanagement and conflict. Again, I will use the examples of Iraq and Afghanistan to
examine the efficacy of the United
States in implementing
democracy and the effects of democracy in the Middle
East.
3. Name two Books and
two Journal Articles that you have consulted about your topic. (Please
reference in complete bibliographic format).
"After the war is over." The Economist 366 (2003): 26-28.
Frum,
David, and Perle, Richard. An End to Evil: How to Win the War on
Terror. N.p.: Random House, 2003.
Hayes, Stephen F. The Connection : How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam
Hussein Has Endangered America. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
"Is a Pax Americana in
the offing?" The Economist 370 (2004): 38-39.
"Je Ne Regrette
Rien." The Economist 372 (2004): 9-10.
Leffler, Melvyn P.
"Think Again: Bush’s Foreign Policy." Foreign
Policy (2004). 19
Sept. 2004
<http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/files/story2671.php>.
Patten, Chris. "Democracy Doesn't Flow From the Barrel
of a Gun." Foreign
Policy (2003): 40-44.
"Taking on the world." The
Economist 366 (2003): 13-14.
"The Contradictory
Conservative." The Economist 372 (2004): 22-26.
http://www.aei.org/news/newsID.21033/news_detail.asp
The Connection : How al Qaeda's
Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060746734/qid=1095622655/sr=5-2/ref=cm_lm_asin/002-4869790-9750431?v=glance
An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1400061946/qid=1095624287/sr=1-25/ref=sr_1_25/002-4869790-9750431?v=glance&s=books