American Policing Role Discussion
Humanities
The previous assignments focused on domestic matters in U.S.
history. This last assignment explores America’s international role in
recent decades. By the mid-20th century, the United States had become
the dominant force in international relations. Some have argued that the
United States’ military functions as the world’s “police.” This
assignment covers the manner in which this shift occurred and the
consequences the United States faces as a result of its status as
“policeman of the world.” One can identify early steps this direction
well before World War II, but in this paper focus on the period from the
1940s to the present. Examine the statement below and drawing from
provided sources, present a paper with specific examples and arguments
to demonstrate the validity of your position.
Statement—in which you can take a pro or con position:
The American international “policing” role developed because of the Cold
War, but now terrorists or any power having or trying to get weapons
of mass destruction (WMD) are the potential targets of such a role. By
examples from different decades since 1950, it is clear that the
policing strategy was once essential but should be discarded as
ineffective and counterproductive. (Or you can argue the opposite—that
the policing strategy is more necessary than ever; or you can argue for a
more moderate position.) Use specific examples—two from the Cold War
years and two from the past two decades.
After giving general consideration to your readings and your research,
select one of the positions above as your position—your thesis.
(Sometimes after doing more thorough research, you might choose the
reverse position. This happens with critical thinking and inquiry. Your
final paper might end up taking a different position than you originally
envisioned.) Organize your paper as follows, handling these issues:
The position you choose —or something close to it—will be the thesis statement in your opening paragraph.
To support your position, use four (4) specific examples from different
decades between 1950 and the present. However, two (2) examples must be
from the Cold War years (before 1991) and the other two (2) examples
must be from the past twenty (20) years.
Explain why the opposing view is weak in comparison to yours.
Consider your life today: In what way does the history you have shown
shape or impact issues in your workplace or desired profession? (This
might be unclear at first since it is foreign policy. But, super-power
status does inevitably provide advantages in a global economy.)
Length: The paper should be 500-to-750 words in length.
Research and References: You must use a MINIMUM of four quality academic
sources; the Schultz textbook must be one of them. Two of them must
come from the online library—either those library sources listed or
others. Your other source should be drawn from the list provided below.
This is guided research, not open-ended Googling. You can consult the
sources list by looking at the assignment instructions in your
Blackboard shell.
