Country Report/Memo (55%). During the semester, you will track a country’s political situation and prepare a report making a persuasive argument why your country should become (or remain) a permanent member of the UN Security Council. You may begin to consider recommendations for reforming the UN Security Council (or UN system) generally and take a stand from the vantage point of your country and region on: representation (geographic, cultural, regime type, multilateral commitment, role in global governance, etc.), permanent seats, veto power, efficiency, etc.
The completed report should be prepared in memo format with the five components below. Tailor your writing to the audience (UN Secretary-General) and place the most vital information on the first page, using visual aids and/or bullet points to clarify your evidence and argument in the body. The final report is around 10 single-spaced pages (each part should be approximately 2 single-spaced pages, 8 pages of content overall, with around 2 pages of visuals (required charts, tables, or images). Parts I-IV must be turned in at the beginning of class on the due date (and uploaded to SacCT Turnitin profile); afterward, the paper will be subject to a 10-point penalty, which will increase one point each subsequent day until it is turned in. In general, the Chicago Manual of Style provides a good resource for proper essay structure, grammatical rules, etc. Take the time to proofread your work.
* Part I should thank the UNSG for reading this report in polite, diplomatic language. It should also include an executive summary of the main arguments for attaining/retaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and briefly describe the contents of the report.
* Part II should examine your nation’s modern historical development (focus on events since 1945, with brief historical background on pre-1945 past if helpful). It should only focus on matters of political importance, such as the colonial impact (as colonizer or colonized), ethnic and religious divides, history of wars and conflict, and current domestic situation such as social movements, political parties, prominent leaders, etc.
* Part III should consider your nation’s power and security interests defined in realist terms, strategic geopolitical outlook, its regional or global rivals and allies, its military and economic capabilities (including voting share in the IMF and World Bank), etc.
* Part IV should describe your country’s cooperation with international norms defined in liberal terms, regard for human rights (i.e. respect for civil liberties-freedom of the press, religion, speech, women’s and minority rights, etc.), membership in international organizations and UN voting blocs (regional groups, Group of 77, etc.), participation in UN peacekeeping and support of international law by signing and ratifying important treaties (ICC, Kyoto Protocol, ICCPR, ICESCR).
