Outline:
a brief statement outlining your position or something relevant about this issue.
II. Body – the bulk of the paper is here, in data taken from the readings and other evidence you have found in support of your position.
It appears that U.S. Middle East foreign policy is going to take yet another tactical turn in the “war on terror” with the recent reelection of President Obama. After scaling down operations in Iraq in his first term, the Obama team is at least rhetorically signaling that they will remove combat troops in 2014. By just about every measure, Afghanistan is still smoldering (and could possibly reignite) from the 2001 U.S. invasion and removal of the Taliban in Kabul. To the extent the Obama’s campaign promises become a reality, use the 9 theories we have discussed in the first part of the semester to explain the continuing conflict in Afghanistan.
1. Historical background to the conflict:
a. Soviet invasion – 1979
b. American response or provocation? – supporting the Mujahadeen
c. Soviet withdrawal – 1989
d. Rise of the Taliban – (1994 – 2001)
2. September 11, 2001 and the American invasion
3. Theoretical construct
a. Levels of analysis
b. Useful theories to explain the conflict
III. Conclusion – based on the evidence you have gathered, your opinion about Obama’s new plan and which of the 9 theories you feel is probably the most accurate for describing why this war continues, possibly even beyond 2014.
