GVPT 457

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Study Questions for Somalia Case

Please write a response to the following questions and email them to me by noon on Wednesday, July 1st.

• In each of the 5 "acts" of the case, policymakers faced a critical decision. For each decision, do you think they made the right choice? What should they have done at each stage? Can you point to one specific decision as a principal cause of "failure" in Somalia?
• Some 16 years later, what conclusions should we draw from the Somalia intervention to inform current American foreign policy?
  

Study Questions for China Trade / Rights Case

Please write a response to the following questions and email them to me by noon on Monday, June 22nd.

• What was the status of the debate over MFN and human rights when the Clinton administration took office in January 1993?
• Why did Clinton choose to renew MFN status with specific conditions in 1993, and what difficulties did that policy encounter between June 1993 and May 1994?
• Was the Clinton administration's policy on MFN and China a success or failure?
  

Study Questions for Cuban Missle Crisis Case

Please write a response to the following questions and email them to me by noon on Wednesday, June 17th.

• Why did the Soviets place the missiles in Cuba? What did they hope to gain? Were they justified in fearing for Cuba's future?
• Was the emplacement of Soviet missiles in Cuba the same as the presense of US missiles in Turkey? Why or why not?
• How did the secret discussions affect the outcome? What does this form of negotiation say about policymaking during the crisis?
  

Study Questions for Marcos Case

Please write a response to the following questions and email them to me by noon on Monday, June 8th.

• Why did President Reagan support Marcos for as long as he did?
• How can we understand the eventual policy shift by the White House to call for Marcos to step down?
• Read the quote from Fred Brown at the top of page 12. Why do you think the State Department would need to (or choose to) work THROUGH the Foreign Relations Committee to influence Reagan's decisionmaking?

Welcome

Welcome to the course website for GVPT 457 for the Summer Term 2009. On this site you can access the latest version of the class syllabus, any additional readings, and other resources posted by the instructor.

My contact information can be found on the righthand side of the page. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me or come by my office hours.