Mid-Term Exercise

This paper will be given to all students on Tuesday February 22 at Noon, and will be due on Thursday
March 3 at Noon to the following email address: vik.kanwar@gmail.com.

Up to 30 points may be earned in this assignment.

 Up to 10 points: Using two examples of theories.

 Up to 10 points: Making appropriate connections between the theories and the question asked.
 Up to 10 points: Using the citation method and guidelines appropriately.

The Question

Over the past two weeks, demonstrations have rocked the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in states with Muslim
populations. Peaceful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt have been followed by violent crackdowns by security forces in Bahrain,
Libya and Yemen, and a more recent wave of demonstrations in Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Djibouti. What is similar about
these countries apart from culture and geography is that they all have highly repressive state apparatuses, constant corruption,
a growing and discontented youth population, and impoverished majorities. They have all had a single party or ruler for
decades. These secular dictatorships or monarchies have stable relationships with the U.S. and major powers because of
common interests in the oil economy and the repression of violent Islamist terrorism. The regimes exploit a love-hate
relationship with the U.S. Most enjoy good economic and diplomatic relations with the U.S. except when the U.S. is too loud in
its defense of democracy, human rights, or Israel. Many states, like Syria and Jordan are secretly happy with their relationship
with the U.S. as well as their ability to be strategically anti-American. Anti-Israeli sentiments and opposing U.S. actions in Iraq
and Afghanistan play well with the masses, but the example post-war chaos in Iraq also helps to strengthen the dictators’ case
for the security of authoritarianism, and only the slowest of reforms. Some believe this is a “wave of democracy” comparable
to Eastern Europe 1989, others fearing the popular rise of Islamist governments (as in Iran 1979) think that this is more like the
threat of communism spreading through a “domino theory.” Some within the U.S. believe that the introduction of democratic
systems will be good for long term stability and peaceful relations; others consider there to be more international security in
containing extremism in the region through friendly dictators and incremental reformers.

 Choose two of the following approaches that offer analytical tools to interpret these events, and
compare and contrast them: Realism, Liberalism, Feminism, Marxism, and Constructivism. How
would these theories interpret these events and what assumptions, descriptions, and
predictions do they offer?
 While they are interesting and useful in this context, DO NOT rely upon Neo-Conservatism or
Francis Fukuyama or Samuel Huntington’s theories because they have not been discussed this
semester.
 Accept the description above as all the factual information you need.
 (Please read the instructions on the additional pages of this Question paper before attempting
to answer this question).

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When do I cite?
This is an exercise in (1) synthesizing arguments from information, and (2) careful citation. I do not want
any information taken from the web at large, but only from this particular folder:

http://www.scribd.com/collections/2803235/International-Relations-Supplementary-Readings

There are nearly 200 books on international relations in this folder. They include books with information
that you already know and lots of information you do not yet know. I would like as many statements as
possible to be cited to these books alone. Even if you believe you already know something from your
class slides, readings, notes, or Wikipedia, you must find that information within these books and cite to
it. This question paper includes instructions on how to search these books and how to cite to them.

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When do I cite?
Here is a passage from the above page.

Political realism. Realpolitik, ‘power politics’, is the oldest and most frequently adopted theory of
international relations.

Here are a number of sentences you might write:

1. “Political realism. Realpolitik, „power politics‟, is the oldest and most frequently
adopted theory of international relations.”
2. Political realism, also called “realpolitik” or “power politics” is the “oldest… theory
of international relations.”
3. Political realism “is the oldest and most frequently adopted theory of international
relations.”
4. There are many theories of IR. The “oldest and most frequently adopted” of these
is realism.
5. Realism is the oldest of IR theories and continues to be the most popular.

All of these are okay, but there are two rules you should follow to make them okay.

a. Any time you use a passage for information, and/or use four or more words in a row, you must
footnote the source. Examples 1-4 all quote four words in a row. Example 5 does not use four
words in a row but still uses the passage for information.

b. Any time you use four or more words in a row, put quotation marks (“word word word word”)
around them. If the words are interrupted put ellipses (three dots) between them (“word
word”… “word word word word”). *See example #2 above+.

Importantly, any of the five options above must be cited as footnotes at the bottom of the page. Even
example #5 which does not require any quotation marks should be footnoted because it uses
information from the source.

How do I cite?
In an edited book, a full citation would include CHAPTER AUTHOR, “CHAPTER TITLE” in BOOK
EDITORS, BOOK TITLE, EDITION, PUBLICATION PLACE: PUBLISHER (YEAR) at PAGE NUMBER:

Jack Donnelly, “Realism” in Scott Burchill, Andrew Linklater, Richard Devetak, Jack Donnelly, Matthew
Paterson, Christian Reus-Smit and Jacqui True (eds). Theories of International Relations (3rd Edition).
New York: Palgrave Macmillan (2005) at page 29.

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For this assignment, you may simplify this to

LAST NAME OF CHAPTER AUTHOR,” CHAPTER TITLE” in LAST NAME OF FIRST BOOK EDITOR, BOOK
TITLE (YEAR) at PAGE NUMBER:

Donnelly, “Realism” in Burchill, Theories of International Relations (2005) at 29.

If Donnelley were also the sole author of the book, then there would be no need for editorial or
chapter information, and it would be even simpler, and most of your citations will take the form

LAST NAME OF AUTHOR, BOOK TITLE (YEAR) at PAGE:

Donnelly, Theories of International Relations (2005) at 29.

An example of how this citation would appear in a footnote will follow this sentence.1

How do I search within books?

On scribd, once you are at a particular document, the bottom of the page there is a function which
allows you to search within the document.

It may be easier to search and read if you are in pdf format. Once you download (provide a user name
and password), the pdf is searchable:

Click edit, click search.

1
Donnelly, Theories of International Relations (2005) at 29.

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