In this assignment, you are being asked to prepare a 5-page, double-spaced paper that critically engages with course materials by applying international relations theory to a contemporary policy scenario. The objective is to “bridge the gap” between the academic theories we are studying and the policy questions that they can help inform.
For the purposes of this assignment, students should feel free to write in a format that best suits them whether that means writing this assignment as a traditional academic essay or as an actual hypothetical policy brief for government officials. But regardless of the format you choose, keep the following in mind: you want to
(i) provide a concise summary of your chosen theory;
(ii) help your reader understand the implications of emerging multipolarity from the perspective of that theory;
(iii) identify at least two policy recommendations that follow logically from your chosen theoretical perspective;
(iv) evaluate the pros and cons of the theory you have chosen. Keep an eye on the relative weighting of the different components of the assignment; that should guide how much space you devote to each.