1) What were the origins of the Cold War? Who is to blame?
2) Compare and contrast McCarthyism and the anti-communist hysteria in the post Second World War era to Islamophobia of the post 9-11 era.
3) Oil as an economic and political weapon in the 1970s.
4) Compare and contrast the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and its effect on the USSR’s world position in the 1980s to US invasion of Iraq and its effect on its global image in the 2000s.
5) The United Nations and Peacekeeping 1945-present
6) Did Third World Countries use the Cold War or were they used by it? Discuss with reference to one of the following: India, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq.
7) Account for the main social, economic and political cause that have undermined the European Union since the 1990s.
8) Describe the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991, and discuss whether it could have been averted.
9) Ronald Reagan has been described as the true victor in the Cold War. Explain why some hold this opinion, and give your own views as to whether it is justified.
10) American policy in the Middle East since 1945 has often been described as confused. Is this a fair assessment?
11) Compare and contrast American fear of communism and American fear of radical Islamism in the development of a cold war crisis and post 9-11 crisis.
12) Following the end of the Cold War Francis Fukuyama (“the End of History”) and Samuel Huntington (“Clash of Civilizations”) proposed two radically different frameworks for the development of international relations in the post Cold-War era. Based on the nature of international relations since the early 1980s to the present, which author is more convincing?
13) What have been the benefits and drawbacks of globalization since 1945? In your answer begin with the creation of the post-World War Two global security and financial framework.
14) Should countries ever intervene in the civil conflicts of other countries? Do countries have an obligation to provide military or humanitarian aid when one group’s human rights are being violated? Examine a contemporary case.
15) To what degree are international trade and environmental protection compatible?
16) To what degree do wealthier countries have a moral obligation to assist poorer countries through international development assistance?
17) In light of the current global order, should the composition of the UN Security Council and the rules governing it be changed? Critically analyze recent proposals for Security Council reform.
18) Should the international system continue to forbid new countries from developing nuclear weapons and sanction countries that disobey?
19) Choose one of the following jurisdictions that have declared independence and have at least some attributes of a state, but are not recognized by the UN as states. Explain why the entity has not been granted statehood to date and what the case reveals about power in the international system and international norms. (Kosovo, Palestine, Republic of South Ossetia, Somaliland, Taiwan, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Western Sahara)
20) Why are countries like China, Russia, and the US able to breach international with limited consequences, while countries like Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Iraq are punished?
