The Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands Dispute

Assignment: Essay 1 International Relations POL 003 – Winter 2020 The Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands Dispute, primarily between Japan and China, is a tense, ongoing territorial dispute that poses a high risk of militarized confrontation. Though uninhabited, the islands may be geopolitically important. If the dispute eventually results in a use of force by either side, it could quickly escalate into a large-scale war. The goal of this assignment is to determine which theory of international relations—realism, liberalism, or constructivism—best explains the current status of the dispute. • In formulating your essay, consider some or all of the following: – What is the dispute fundamentally about? Is it merely about a few islands, or is it about something deeper? Why are the islands important? – Can the actions of the disputants be explained in terms of national security interests? What are those interests? – What factors have thus far prevented the dispute from escalating to war? Is there any role for commerce, international institutions, and/or democratic politics? – Is there evidence that the dispute is the result of changing beliefs, perceptions, and ideas on the part of the disputants, or is the dispute entirely driven by strategic concerns? • Consult the following (clickable) links for historical background: – General overviews ∗ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/04/17/why-japan-ismaking-a-big-fuss-over-tiny-islands-4-things-to-know/ ∗ https://www.cfr.org/interactive/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/tensionseast-china-sea ∗ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11341139 – Japanese views ∗ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/senkakus/ ∗ http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/senkaku/qa_1010.html – Chinese views ∗ http://newssearch.chinadaily.com.cn/search (search Diaoyu Islands) ∗ http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/topics_665678/diaodao_665718/ • Consult additional newspapers, newsmagazines, and journal articles as needed. Be sure to employ reputable sources. Blog posts, Wikipedia articles, random websites, YouTube clips, and personal manifestos are not acceptable. Examples of acceptable newspaper sources include The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, etc., as well as major Japanese or Chinese outlets. Websites of major international news outlets, such as the BBC, are also acceptable. Examples of acceptable newsmagazines include Bloomberg, The Economist, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Forbes, etc. Policy journals with an international focus, such as Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy, are also excellent resources. Consult with your TA if you have concerns about a particular source. Your essay should incorporate 4–5 high-quality sources beyond the course readings and those sources listed above. • All sources must be meticulously and thoroughly documented, including assigned course readings. Any reference to a source must be properly cited. See this link for guidance: https://ossja.ucdavis. edu/preventing-plagiarism. Be sure to include a separate list of references. (The list of references is not included in the word count.) Any instance of suspected plagiarism will be immediately referred to the UC Davis Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs. • Essays must be approximately 1,500 words in length, ± 100 words. Only typed essays will be accepted. Please use a standard 10–12pt font with 1” margins. You may use whichever style guide you prefer (APSA, MLA, Chicago, APA, etc), but do use a style guide. (NB: Your TA may request a specific style guide.) • Essays should be logically and coherently organized, with an introduction, a conclusion, and a specific thesis statement. The writing should be clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors. Excessive errors will lower your grade. • Essays are due no later than February 5th at 5pm. Essays must be submitted electronically, via the Canvas assignment module for Essay 1. We will not accept hard copies or emailed papers. You are welcome to submit your paper as far in advance of the deadline as you’d like. Be sure that you upload the correct, final version of your essay. Once you’ve uploaded the file, it cannot be changed. • Late papers will be docked one full letter grade per day. (E.g., a grade of 91% will be reduced to 81%.) This penalty begins at 5:01pm on the due date and recurs every 24 hours thereafter. All later papers will be penalized, regardless of the reason for lateness. UC Davis has many computing resources. A computer glitch, hard drive failure, or wifi malfunction is not an acceptable justification for lateness. It is your responsibility to ensure you have reliable internet access. If you expect to encounter scheduling or other issues around the due date, you should arrange to complete and submit your paper in advance of the deadline. Essays will be graded according to the following rubric: • Shows sufficient understanding of the dispute and accurately portrays the historical background, relevant actors, competing claims, etc. • Shows a strong grasp of relevant realist, liberal, or constructivist concepts. • Applies realist, liberal, or constructivist concepts to the dispute in a plausible way; identifies aspects of the dispute that are consistent with the preferred theoretical framework; and does not ignore theoretical concepts that are clearly relevant. • Uses appropriate sources where needed, such as reputable newspapers and newsmagazines, and does not use inappropriate sources (e.g., Wikipedia). • Meets expectations for grammar, spelling, writing style, and word count. • Includes citations for all referenced material.