Question 1: International conflict 
The following news article (https://www.rd.com/article/how-will-ukraine-war-end/Links to an external site.) discusses the Ukranian War, its causes and how it might end. 
Read the article and interpret the story in the context of a more general debate on international conflict.
Your answer will be evaluated based on how coherent of a thesis (argument) it presents, how strongly it is supported with logic and evidence, and how meaningfully and appropriately it uses the following terms and phrases in a 250-word response: 
– War
– Hegemonic war 
– Total war 
– Limited war 
– Civil war 
– Guerilla war
– Individual
-level explanation 
– Domestic
-level explanation 
– Interstate-level explanation 
– Global-level explanation    
Question 2: International conflict 
Read the following news articles: 
1. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/17/asia/japan-new-defense-base-disputed-islands-intl-hnk/index.html – The article discusses Japan’s recent strategic move and the motivation behind that move
2. https://www.rd.com/article/how-will-ukraine-war-end/ – This article discusses the Ukranian War, its causes and how it might end.
Read the articles and interpret the stories in the articles in the context of a more general debate on international conflict.
Your answer will be evaluated based on how coherent of a thesis (argument) it presents, how strongly it is supported with logic and evidence, and how meaningfully and appropriately it uses the following terms and phrases in a 250 word response: 
– War 
– Nationalism 
– Ethnic groups
– Ethnic cleansing 
– Ethnocentrism 
– Religion 
– Ideology 
– Territory 
– Economic interest 
– Genocide 
– Secession  
– The 200-mile exclusive economic zone
Question 3: Military force and terrorism 
The following news article: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/how-could-north-korea-use-its-nuclear-weapons-2023-12-21/ – This article discusses how North Korea can use its nuclear weapons. 
Read the article and interpret the story in the articles in the context of a more general debate on military force and terrorism.
Your answer will be evaluated based on how coherent of a thesis (argument) it presents, how strongly it is supported with logic and evidence, and how meaningfully and appropriately it uses the following terms and phrases in a 250-word response : 
– Conventional military forces 
– Terrorism 
– Weapons of mass destruction
– Revolution in military affairs 
– Counterinsurgency warfare 
– State-sponsored terrorism 
– Nuclear weapons 
– Ballistic missiles 
– Chemical weapons 
– Biological weapons 
– Non-proliferation Treaty of 1968 
– Mutually assured destruction 
– The 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty 
– The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties in the 1970s 
– The START treaties    
Question 4: International organization, law and human rights 
New Articles: 1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/22/un-water-conference-warns-worsening-scarcity. This article discusses a recent report by the United Nations on worsening water scarcity. 
2. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/17/europe/icc-russia-war-crimes-charges-intl/index.html 
This article discusses a recent decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrent warrant for Vladimir Putin. 
Read the articles and interpret the stories in the articles in the context of a more general debate on international organizations.
Your answer will be evaluated based on how coherent of a thesis (argument) it presents, how strongly it is supported with logic and evidence, and how meaningfully and appropriately it uses the following terms and phrases in a 250 word response: 
– Intergovernmental organizations 
– Non-governmental organizations 
– The Security Council 
– Peacekeeping
– The UN Secretariat (Current secretary: Antonio Guterres) 
– The General Assembly 
– The World Bank 
– The International Monetary Fund (IMF) 
– The World Trade Organization (WTO) 
– Just-War Doctrine 
– Civil-political rights 
– Economic-social rights 
– The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
– Amnesty International 
– The Responsibility to Protect  
Question 5: Global Finance and Business 
If someone argued that global business and finance is one area of international relations where state actors are least relevant, would you agree or disagree with him/her? And why?
Your answer will be evaluated based on how coherent of a thesis (argument) it presents, how strongly it is supported with logic and evidence, and how meaningfully and appropriately it uses the following terms and phrases  in a 250-word response: 
– The gold standard 
– The exchange rate 
– Fixed exchange rate
– Floating exchange rate 
– Managed floating exchange rate 
– Devaluation 
– Central bank
– Balance of payment
– The current account 
– The capital account 
– Foreign direct investment 
– Foreign indirect (portfolio) investment 
– Trade deficit/surplus
– Multinational corporations 
– Host country 
– Home country