Possible position—in each case you can take the pro or con position:
- The American “policing” role developed because of the Cold War, but it became primarily a means for protecting and assisting economic interests for itself and its allies as illustrated by recent events as well as earlier ones.
- The American “policing” role has been exercised primarily to protect vulnerable peoples and regions from powerful oppressors or from regional chaos, as illustrated by recent events as well as earlier ones.
- The American “policing” role has had noble intentions and ultimate success during the Cold War, but in fighting terror it has gotten off track with some severe consequences.
- A position you develop on this issue with the approval of your instructor.
After giving general consideration to your readings and your research, select one of the positions above as your position—your thesis. (Sometimes after doing more thorough research, you might choose the reverse position. This happens with critical thinking and inquiry. Your final paper might end up taking a different position than you originally envisioned.) Organize your paper as follows, handling these issues:
- The position you choose (from the list above)—or something close to it—will be the thesis statement in your opening paragraph.
- To support your position, use four specific examples from different decades between 1950 and the present. (At least one example must be from the last ten years).
- Explain why the opposing view is weak in comparison to yours.
- Consider your life today: In what way does the history you have shown shape or impact issues in your workplace or desired profession? (This might be unclear at first since it is foreign policy. But, super-power status does inevitably provide advantages in a global economy.)
Length:
The paper should be 600-to-850 words in length. This normally means 2-to-3 pages for the body of the paper. (The title page and Sources page do not count in these calculations.) Double-space between lines. Format instructions are below.
