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the modern history of Iraq and Afghanistan. Law Essay

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1 POL140D Essay Assignment (Fall 2019) Please read all 4 pages of instructions here Paper is due at Canvas by 4pm on 11/14 (Th). Try to turn it in early. Technical issues will NOT be accepted as an excuse for turning in the essay late. • Anyone seeking an extension on the paper must get Professor Scheiner’s approval by 4pm on 11/13. Under no circumstances will I grant extensions after 4pm on 11/13. • Any essays turned in late (and without an extension) will lose one-third letter grade per day that the paper is late. Note that we will not prorate points off. One second late is equal to one day late. (For example, an A quality paper turned in one second late would drop down to an A-. The same paper turned in 24 hours later would drop down to a B+. Etc.). For this essay, please do not use any sources except (a) the below reading and (b) the regular course lectures and reading. In the early 2000s, after U.S. intervention in both countries, both Afghanistan and Iraq held democratic elections. Please read the following articles on these elections (available under Readings under Files at Canvas): • Reynolds, Andrew. 2006. “The Curious Case of Afghanistan.” Journal of Democracy 17: 104-117. • Dawisha, Adeed, and Larry Diamond. 2006. “Iraq’s Year of Voting Dangerously.” Journal of Democracy 17: 89-103. Essay assignment on the next page. 2 The Assignment Essay question: Based on the course lectures and reading assigned in this class, make an argument for what electoral rules (based on choices listed below) Afghanistan and Iraq should have introduced in the early 2000s. You should also consider the following in your answer: • What specific problems in Afghanistan and Iraq do you wish to address with your choice of electoral rules? Why? • Do you recommend the same electoral rule for both countries? Why or why not? • Based on what you have learned in this class, please discuss briefly what types of effects the electoral rules implemented in Iraq and Afghanistan usually have? And, briefly, what effects do these rules have in Iraq and Afghanistan according to the Reynolds and Dawisha & Diamond readings? o If what we see in Iraq and Afghanistan is different from what we usually expect from these rules, please briefly discuss the reasons for these differences. If the effects in Iraq and Afghanistan fit with our usual expectations for these types of rules, please briefly point that out. • Given the specific problems you are trying to address, why are the rules that you chose better than what was actually used in Afghanistan and Iraq (assuming that you didn’t choose the rules they did implement) and better than other alternatives that you might have picked? o To address this fully, you must consider likely strengths and weaknesses of other possible choices. • What would the disadvantages of your choice of rules be? Rules you should consider: • In this class we have discussed a number of different electoral rules, in particular SMDs, PR, STV, and SNTV. Also, even within these different systems, there is frequently variation in seat allocation rules (plurality vs. majority vs. AV in SMDs and various rules in PR), who controls the party list (especially open or closed list), the district magnitude, and the threshold of representation. • You may suggest a rule different from the above examples (and you can make up your own rule), but for full credit you must discuss SMDs, PR, STV, and SNTV in your essay. You should also discuss (at least briefly) seat allocation rules, open vs. closed list, district magnitude, and thresholds. Note that we will probably lower your grade if you suggest a rule of your own devising that is very complicated. • Mixed-member systems are not an option in this assignment. The rule you choose must offer voters only 1 vote and must include only one type of electoral rule. For example, you can’t use votes to allocate seats according to both SMD and PR rules. Please do not argue for or against any type of mixed-member systems in your essay. (You would get your paper returned to you and it would then be considered late.) Please contact the instructor if you have any questions about whether the rule you choose is acceptable. See the next page for additional things to consider. 3 Additional Things to Consider Please Note • Be sure to state a clear argument in the introduction to your essay! • You should support your arguments with references to the course lectures and reading. More on the question: • Your evaluation should focus on both the feasibility of your choice of rules and the likely political outcomes. • You are not required to suggest something different from that recommended by the Afghanistan and Iraq reading, but we certainly encourage you to do so. • In your answer, you should assume that your reader knows how electoral systems work, but not necessarily what the effects will be. o For example, if you discuss SMD plurality rules, you should assume that your reader knows what an SMD plurality system is. But you should explain what effects of SMD plurality systems are an advantage for these countries and what are a disadvantage – and explain why. Format and logistics: • Essays should be in Word or PDF format. • Essays should be 5-7 double spaced pages. The TA will not read beyond p. 7. • Please include a cover page (not included in the 5-7 pages), which includes the following information: o Your full name & ID# o “POL140D Take-home Essay – Fall 2019” o The date you are submitting the essay • Please number all pages (except the cover page, which is not part of the numbering). Page 1 is the first page after the cover. • Double-spaced, 1-inch margins • Times New Roman, 12-point font • Bibliography & Citations: o At the end of the paper, on a separate page please list all of the reading that you referred to in the essay. This will not count as part of the 7 pages. For your bibliography, please use the same format as in the Moser & Scheiner book. o When referring to a reading in the text of the paper, please use the “parenthetical” citation approach. Here is one (totally made-up) example: β–ͺ “Open-list PR has a variety of effects (Ames 2002: 49-51).” • This indicates that Ames makes that point or shows that open-list PR has a variety of effects on pages 49-51 of his 2002 book. β–ͺ If you refer to a lecture, please list (parenthetically) the Lecture number and date. Another made-up example: • “SMDs have effects too (Lecture 4, October 7, 2019).” • Note that you should proofread your papers and spell-check them. 4 • Papers that are incorrectly formatted or are in need of such proofreading/spell checking may be returned to you with the normal late penalties. Papers that are accepted by the instructors but are poorly (and/or carelessly) written will be marked down.

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Assignment
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Introduction
The early 2000s were the most politically fundamental years in the modern history of both Iraq and Afghanistan. It is important to note that 2005 was critically essential for Iraq since, within a period of eleven months, the country had conducted three elections. Most importantly, the polls were all carried out successfully, and Iraqis voted in large numbers despite the challenges related to logistics issues and the terrorist intimidations. On the other side, in 2005, over six million Afghans also took part in a competitive legislative election; over half of the voters were women, and they had a huge impact on deciding the power dynamics. The election in Afghanistan mainly focused on selecting the council of the people, elders, and the local councils. The elections in these both countries indicated that meaningful elections would be possible even in unpromising circumstances. Iraq and Afghanistan have employed different electoral rules; these systems have had various problems and effects to the two countries; there is a need for implementing a new system to deal with these challenges.
The success of the elections held in Iraq and Afghanistan indicates a smooth transformation from dictatorship to democracy. It is necessary to comprehend that there is a need for choosing leaders freely and holding them accountable for any human conditions witnessed in the country. Establishment of appropriate and crucial democratic institutions such as effective electoral systems is vital for supporting democratic countries. Ideally, a flawed electoral system, delay and hold back democracy’s progress more than corrupt leaders and warlords. Both countries employed various electoral rules such as the single transferable vote (STV) and single nontransferable vote (SNTV), among others.
The electoral rules have had numerous problems in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Some options, such as the first-past-the-post system (FPTP), were found to be impractical for the political situation in Iraq. Although, the FPTP system was appealing in that it would help in encouraging the election of locally rooted representatives. As a majoritarian system, the FPTP was inappropriate for the highly divided Iraq since it was necessary to promote some levels of fairness and equality in representation for both the minority and majority groups (Dawisha& Diamond, 2006). Additionally, the alternative vote (AV) system would also not work in Iraq. This approach would require the voters in the different districts to rank their candidates through the use of the ballots. AV would also facilitate moderation since the candidates would be required to participate and challenge for lower-order partiality. The two systems, FPTP and AV, were found not suitable for Iraqi electoral administration since the country did not have the resources, time, and census data, which would help in drawing the boundaries for the numerous districts.
There was also a need for the entire electoral process in Iraq to consider the voters. Although plans were developed and implemented to support civic education, there was also a need to keep the voting process simple since the people had not participated in democratic elections for decades. Therefore...
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