PolicyPaper2020 x
Need help rewriting/ finishing this and ensuring that all directions are followed. The sources cited, must be used as they have already been submitted. —– *Formal Assessment Guidelines – GOVT 2305 Policy Paper (Mandatory) Introduction This project is an opportunity to carefully examine a contemporary foreign policy issue between the United States government and one other foreign government. Completing this activity is a mandatory component of this course. It serves as the standard course assessment for all GOVT 2305 students and is a college requirement. Failure to submit and complete this project in its entirety will result in a failing grade for the course. There are four steps to completing this project: Step 1 – Identifying the Issue The policy paper will address US foreign policy toward one country. Only the topics listed below may be selected. Pick one and begin your research immediately: • US foreign policy regarding Hong Kong’s political status • US foreign policy regarding political development in Afghanistan • US foreign policy regarding China’s human rights record • US foreign policy regarding political development in Venezuela • US foreign policy regarding the International Criminal Court • US foreign policy regarding NATO’s future • US foreign policy regarding the perpetual War on Terror • US foreign policy regarding Nigerian political instability • US foreign policy regarding economic development in El Salvador • US foreign policy regarding Cuba • US foreign policy regarding military aid to Egypt • US foreign policy regarding military aid to Ukraine • US foreign policy regarding Turkish democratization Step 2 – Gathering Sources Conduct research to locate three academic journal articles (aka: peer-reviewed or scholarly sources) that specifically address issues within the foreign policy relationship you selected and meet the following criteria: • The articles must be no more than ten (10) years old. • The article must have more than five (5) pages of actual content (without graphs, charts, footnotes, citations, etc.). • Books will not count toward the scholarly source minimum requirements. • Carefully choose sources that provide a variety of perspectives on your selected topic. • In addition to the minimum research requirements, you should use high quality sources for essential current events information relevant to your topic. These may include academic sources that are not peer-reviewed (position papers), newspaper articles, magazine articles, and other quality or reputable sources. • The course textbook, encyclopedias (including Wikipedia), and almanacs, are reference materials and are not to be listed as sources on the collegiate level. Step 3 – The Proposal Submit a one to two page proposal to the appropriate dropbox by the date specified in the course calendar. The proposal must: • Identify the topic in one or two paragraphs: Summarize the foreign policy topic you will be addressing Describe the current status of the policy or topic Describe why this policy is important to the United States Cite each of your academic journal articles at least once in the paragraph using correct MLA in-text citations. • Include the Works Cited or Reference section with the three (at a minimum) peer-reviewed academic journal articles that will form the basis of your policy paper. • These three references must be cited in the final policy paper. • Additional sources can be added (and should if a good grade is desired), but they cannot be changed without permission after the proposal is approved. • In-text citations and the Works Cited or Reference section must be formatted using MLA citation style. Other MLA formatting elements (e.g. header, page number format, etc.) are not used in this assignment. • Do not use block quotations (or any quotation that exceeds three lines of text) or first person in the proposal or final policy paper! References provided in the proposal cannot be changed at a later date without approval (see Step 4 below). An example of a good policy proposal is provided in eCampus. A fundamental expectation of college writing is that all key arguments, facts, assertions and claims are supported with research (i.e. parenthetical citations). When a source has been cited, you are expected to acknowledge the source in the body of your text and on a Works Cited page using formal MLA citation format. The paper must be completed using the formatting guidelines provided in the syllabus as “Guidelines for all Coursework.” I do not allow students to recycle or use essays from other courses. You must receive consent from me in order to do so and you will need to provide a solid justification. Please do not simply submit an assignment that you’ve used in another course as it will not be accepted unless approved. Revise and Resubmit Policy The purpose of the proposal process is for your instructor to confirm that 1) you have selected three appropriate academic journal articles, 2) that you have selected an appropriate topic, and 3) that you are able to correctly cite your sources. Additionally, it allows your instructor to give you feedback on your writing (grammar, sentence composition, punctuation, and spelling) as well as your use of proper MLA citation formatting. Should you submit a proposal that does not meet the minimum assignment requirements, you will be asked to “revise and resubmit” the assignment. In such cases, a minimum letter grade deduction is always applied to the resubmitted assignment. The instructor will inform you of the due date and conditions of resubmission. The Revise and Resubmit applies only to policy proposals that are submitted by the due date. Only one “Revise and Resubmit” will be allowed. Failure to resubmit the revision before the provided due date, or failure to correct the identified issues in need of revision, will result in a zero for the proposal grade. More seriously, students that do not successfully complete the proposal assignment are in high danger of failing the course if their policy paper topic and sources do not meet minimum requirements. Step 4 – The Policy Paper Prepare a formal research paper regarding the selected policy. The assignment must be between 5-8 pages excluding quotations, cover page, and Works Cited page(s). The essay should address the following: • An introduction and brief overview of the current issues facing the countries. • The reasons for initiating changes to existing policy. • The possible policy options or alternatives to be considered (discuss several). • The pros and cons of each policy option or alternative (costs vs. benefits). • The best policy option or alternative (pick one). • A summary and conclusion Do not use first person in the proposal or final policy paper! The paper body must be a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 full pages in length, double-spaced. No more and no less is necessary for this activity. Keep direct quotes to a minimum; do not use block quotations. All key arguments, facts, assertions, and claims must be supported with research. The references approved in the policy proposal must be used in the policy paper: you may add additional sources (and should if you seek an A on the assignment), but you must seek approval from the instructor at least 72 hours before the policy paper due date if you intend to change any of the scholarly sources approved in the proposal. There will be no opportunity to revise and resubmit this assignment. Failure to meet the minimum research and writing requirements will result in a zero for the entire assignment (no partial credit will be awarded as this is a formal institutional assessment). A zero on this assignment will result in a failing grade for the course. Finally, add a cover page and include the References (also known as Works Cited) page at the end. Submit all pages together as one file to the assignment dropbox. Special Notes: The grading standards used to assess the quality of your work for this project will be detailed in a grading rubric, which will be provided during the semester. It is strongly suggested that every student read ahead and use the library database during the first days of the course to begin researching a topic. This project requires carefully planning throughout the semester. Refer to the course calendar for the specific due date. The final product is to be submitted as a single file via the submission guidelines identified by the instructor.
When Temperatures Begin to Rise: United States Foreign Policy & Cuba
Policy Paper
By: Brendan Lewis
GOVT 2305-29402 Spring 2020
Dr. Denise McArthur
Word Count (
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636)
Officially named the Republic of Cuba, Cuba is the largest Caribbean island both in terms of population and land mass – and the 17th largest island in the world. With a vast and rich history, Cuba has nine World Heritage sites – more than most countries in the world. For a half century, Cuba has been a command economy, meaning supply and demand are regulated by the government instead of free market forces. This fiscal policy has placed the country and its citizens at an enormous disadvantage; leaving most to earn less than $25 USD per month. Though these numbers are staggering, the more significant issue is how will Cuba recognize growth, allowing its people opportunities to succeed in the private sector, if their largest neighbor (United States) doesn’t play a part in that success. The first step in this process would be opening trade and tourism to Americans which will inevitably stimulate their economy.
With such a storied and at times distressed past, it’s no reason President Barack Obama insisted relations between the two nations be opened. “… few Cubans were oblivious to the history being made. In the space of 15 short months, from the first announcement of normalization in December 2014 to the presidential visit, the official hostility that had defined U.S.-Cuba relations for more than half a century was over. Diplomatic relations were reestablished, nascent business ties were forged, and regularly scheduled American planes full of American visitors were about to descend.” (DeYoung)
In the midst of revolution on April 1959, Castro takes a meeting with then Vice President Nixon during an unofficial visit to Washington. “Nixon afterwards wrote that the US had no choice but to try to “orient” the leftist leader in the “right direction”.” (BBC) With Cuba approaching nationalization of all US business and as tensions mounted, the United States felt they had no choice but to attempt an alignment with the radical Prime Minister. This would in the end seem too daunting a task and in less than one year the United States would impose an embargo on Cuba; ceasing all trade and travel between the two nations. It wasn’t for several decades that these restrictions would loosen. “Proclamation 3447 signed by President Kennedy on Feb. 3, 1962, established the embargo against Cuba to reduce “the threat posed by its alignment with the communist powers.” The embargo was strengthened by the 1992 Cuban Democracy Act , and the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996 (also known as Helms-Burton) which specified conditions for terminating the embargo. According to US law, Cuba must legalize all political activity, release all political prisoners, commit to free and fair elections in the transition to representative democracy, grant freedom to the press, respect internationally recognized human rights, and allow labor unions.” (ProCon)
Given the fact that Cuba had not met any of these conditions, the embargo largely stayed enact until 2017 when President Barack Obama publicized the immediate cessation of the ‘wet feet, dry feet’ policy. This happened only eight days prior to the end of his term as President of the United States. Beginning in 2014, expectancy of the end of this policy had increased the number of Cuban’s immigrating to the United States. In a last stich effort, Obama would attempt to unite the two nations, ending an almost 60-year fracture in diplomacy. With the election behind him, it was announced on November 8th, 2017 that President Trump had enacted new rules, effectively re-enforcing the commerce and tourism restrictions which were relaxed by the Obama Administration. This would take effect only one day later, on November 9th. Many political pundits criticized Trump for his opinions on Cuba, stating this was an attempt to capture the Florida vote. Ironically, less than a year prior, Trump campaign consultants traveled to Cuba in search of investment prospects, “a violation of the restrictions of the U.S. trade embargo.” (Anderson)
With the threat of communism diminished on the worlds stage, it would make sense that efforts on the part of the Obama administration were welcomed. Many view foreign policy with regard to Cuba as being outdated as tensions lessened during the half-decade ban. It was believed prudent to not only open up the lines of communication but reassess the terms of our original embargo. “Feb. 7, 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the embargo, and the goal of forcing Cuba to adopt a representative democracy still has not been achieved. Fidel Castro resigned his presidency in 2008 and abdicated his role as the leader of Cuba’s communist party in 2011 due to illness. His brother Raúl then stepped in to take his place. If 50 years of sanctions have not toppled the Castro regime, there is no reason to think the embargo will ever work.” (ProCon)
The most significant reason and origin of the embargo was a result of Cold War thinking. Since then, the threat of communism isn’t in the ether, and many politicians believe it’s high time we revisit these policies. “Cuba’s relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War raised concerns about US national security, but that era is long over. The USSR dissolved in 1991, and American foreign policy has adapted to the change in most aspects apart from the embargo. The US Defense Intelligence Agency released a report in 1998 stating “Cuba does not pose a significant military threat to the U.S. or to other countries in the region.” The embargo can no longer be justified by the fear of Communism spreading throughout the Western Hemisphere.” (ProCon)
With the majority of Americans (61%) leaning toward reestablishing a relationship with Cuba, questions continue to mount whether these decisions are well intentioned or if they were politically driven for personal gain; setting US/ Cuba relations back decades. (LeoGrande) Alternatively, there are those who claim engaging and cooperating with the Cuban government could result in continual acts of aggression, raising apprehension with regard to what would happen if the sanctions were completely lifted. The issue has also been raised of human rights. Many organizations around the world have written of the history of human right abuses. Additionally, some say since about 90% of the economy is state owned, investment in the economy would only benefit the Cuban government. This might have been the case, but as Cuba moves toward a free market system, opportunities will avail that will benefit the citizens of Cuba. But as one begins to analyze these foreign policy matters, a major contradiction presents itself. It almost become to appear hypocritical for the US government to promote democracy when they prohibit Americans from traveling to Cuba.
Works Cited
Anderson, Jon Lee. “Donald Trump Reverses Barack Obama’s Cuba Policy.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 17 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/donald-trump-reverses-barack-obamas-cuba-policy. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
DeYoung, Karen. “How Obama’s Trip to Havana Finally Ended the Cold War.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 18 Nov. 2018,
www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/obama-legacy/us-cuba-diplomatic-relations.html
. Accessed 10 Mar 2020.
LeoGrande, William M. “Trump Has Set U.S.-Cuba Relations Back Decades.” Foreign Policy, 22 June 2017, foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/22/trump-has-set-u-s-cuba-relations-back-decades/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
“Pros & Cons – ProCon.org.” Cuba Embargo, ProCon.org, 31 Aug. 2016, cuba-embargo.procon.org/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
“Timeline: US-Cuba Relations.” BBC News, BBC, 11 Oct. 2012,
www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-12159943
. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
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