Justifying US bombing of Syria in the wake of the Syrian civil war, President Trump argued For generations, the United States of America has played a unique role as an anchor of global security and as an advocate for human freedom. Mindful of the risks and costs of military action, we are naturally reluctant to use force to solve the world’s many challenges. But when our interests and values are at stake, we have a responsibility to act. Having tried to end the violence without using force, the international community offered Assad a final chance to stop his campaign of killing, or face the consequences. Assad declared he would show “no mercy” to his own people. We knew that if we waited one more day, Damascus, a city nearly the size of Charlotte, could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world. How would a realist, liberal, and anti-imperialist view President Trump’s arguments (both his claim about the historical role of the US as an advocate for human freedom and the decision to intervene militarily in Syria based on humanitarian arguments)? Which perspective do you agree with most?
• Explain the relevant assumptions of realism, liberalism, and anti-imperialism. Be sure to apply the information to the prompt at all times; do not just explain the perspectives on their own. • Provide at least one historical example from each of the main time periods discussed: Founding-pre-WWII; WWII and immediate aftermath; Early Cold War (1950s-1960s); Late Cold War (1970s-1980s); post-Cold War Era (1990s-current). Extra Points: • The historical examples are evidence for your arguments, not the point of the essay. You will not receive credit for papers (rough or final drafts) that simply summarize historical events with no attempt to answer the prompt. • You do not need to discuss every time period for each perspective, but all identified time periods must be used somewhere in the paper. • You do not need to discuss the specifics of the Syrian civil war or do any research on Syria. Focus on the broader questions. • Your essay should incorporate information from the lectures AND multiple assigned readings. You should not do any outside research.
