Preemptive War and Foreign Policy

Essay Question:

You will write a three to five page essay answering the question below. This paper MUST be turned in on the day of the final. Due May 7^th, by midnight!

In 2002, President George W. Bush’s administration disclosed a new national security strategy that contended that the doctrine of preemptive war against potential threats to American interests at home or throughout the globe would guide the United States’ foreign policy.[1] The National Security Strategy proclaimed: “The United States has long maintained the option of preemptive actions to counter a sufficient threat to our national security.”[2]

Do you agree that the doctrine of preemptive war was consistent with America’s relationship with the world or do you consider it to be a departure from America’s historical approach to foreign policy? Be sure to consider the scope of America’s engagement with the rest of globe from the 1890s to 2005. Use three to five historical events to support your argument as you trace the trajectory of U.S. foreign policy.

General Guidelines for take-home exams:

Papers must be typed, double-spaced, with pages numbered. Please provide a coversheet that includes your name, the date, and your class time.

Plan ahead so that you have time to write at least two drafts. Read the first draft carefully both to make sure that it makes sense and coheres logically and to eliminate any grammatical or spelling errors (do not rely on spell check). Make sure that each paragraph is organized around one main idea and has a topic sentence. Eliminate unnecessary words and replace vague and unclear statements with precisely what you want to say. A short, succinct word is always preferable to a long, complicated word.

All papers should begin with an introduction of a paragraph or two that set out your purpose and suggest how you are going to go about fulfilling it. Think of the introduction as a guide to the reader so that s/he can anticipate what is to come. At the end of the paper one or two paragraphs should summarize your conclusions.

Remember that the paper must be in your own words; using another writer’s words without acknowledgement is plagiarism. If there are (rare) times when you need to use an author’s words, you must put them in quotation marks and provide a citation. The History Department prefers the Turabian’s method of citation (http://guides.library.txstate.edu/writing-citation-style-guide/turabian-chicago). Since you will only be using course readings your citations from the textbook should look like this.[3] Any citations from the Reading the American Past should look like this.[4] Subsequent citations from the textbook should look like this.[5] You will not need a bibliography for this assignment.

In assigning grades to your papers, I will look for the following:

-          How well you focus on what the questions asks, including ALL elements of the question.

-          How clear your thesis statement is to understand and how well it is argued.

-          Your understanding of the document(s) to be used in the paper and of the main developments and events covered in the course.

-          A clear sense of chronology in the order of events you discuss.

-          A persuasive, logical argument or statements supported by specific evidence and examples.

-          A writing style that is clear.

-          Organization that helps the reader to follow the sequence of events and the argument.

-          Correct grammar, spelling, usage, and format.