Third response paper, due Dec. 17

PS 142A

Third Response Paper (Final)

Please answer the following questions using appropriate materials from the course readings and lectures. Address the questions fully and completely. Your essay should be up to four pages, double-spaced, with normal font (12-point) and margins (approximately 1300 words in total). Although we are not specifically grading according to these criteria, the clarity of your reasoning, grammar, spelling, and general style will matter. Please use this “take-home” assignment as an opportunity to craft a compelling essay.

The word limit is an approximation. If you need additional words to make a clear, cogent, and compelling argument, please feel free to do so. If you exceed the limit and are just blathering on, however, it will try our patience. Also, if you are using materials (readings, lectures) from the course, citations are generally not necessary, although direct quotes should always be properly sourced. If you do cite assigned materials, references can be abbreviated (e.g., LaFeber, p.X). Any material you use from outside the course must be fully cited.

You are free, of course, to discuss your thoughts and essay with other students in the course. Each essay, however, must be your original and autonomous response. All essays must be submitted by 3:00 PM on Thursday, December 17, via Canvas. Due to the tight schedule for submitting final grades for this course, we will deduct five points per day for any late papers.

Prompt:

After over six decades years of relative stability, the Liberal International Order (LIO) constructed by the U.S. faces several challenges. Identify and discuss the trends, changing circumstances, and policies that have led to these current challenges, using concepts from class and the readings. Be sure to discuss specific mechanisms from the readings and framework we have used this quarter, where appropriate. Explain not only how but why the challenges pose a threat to the LIO. Be sure to address the following. Why has U.S.-European cooperation become more difficult since the end of the Cold War? What was the New World Order and why did it fail to stabilize the Middle East as hoped? What is the role of populism and the rise of China? Briefly, and by way of conclusion, explain why the Liberal International Order is worth saving -- or not.