International Relations

Choose one of the three questions below and write an essay of 6-8 pages (1500-2000 words) in length.  Please make sure that your essay has a focused argument, cites readings for support, refers to empirical examples, considers alternative explanations and counterarguments, and answers every part of the question. Your essay must

• comply with standard formatting rules (1-inch margins, 12 point font, double-spaced text)
• cite readings appropriately

1. You are an advisor to the newly-appointed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. HE has asked you to prepare a background paper discussing how the realist, liberal, and constructivist paradigms view major challenges to international peace and stability in this decade. He is specifically interested in what the paradigms suggest about the obstacles and opportunities he faces in trying to address these challenges. The Secretary-General does not want to read a pure policy memo, but rather to understand the broad practical implications of the three paradigms. You should help him do so by explaining how each school of thought would explain and respond to one of the following two major problems: the refugee crisis in Europe or the current conflict in Ukraine.  Be sure to indicate which of the paradigms will be most useful in addressing the problem you have selected.  

2. “States are like billiard balls and what matters is how much material power they possess relative to one another; norms, ideas, discourse are merely a reflection of the underlying balance of power.”

Do you agree with this assessment? Realists tend to emphasize the impact of state power over that of norms and ideas. How would constructivists and liberals respond? How do the three schools of IR differ in their understanding of the role and significance of norms?  Please refer to empirical examples in your answer.

3. Why have security communities failed to take hold outside of Europe? Why have regions outside of Europe not been able to transcend the effects of anarchy? Pick a region in the developing world – Africa, the Middle East or Asia – and describe how the three paradigms would explain the absence of a security community. Which theoretical school provides the most compelling explanation and why?